The More Things Change
by NYT
Summary: Updated December '05. COMPLETED. Terri and Stiles were in a plane crash, Terri developed amnesia...now the fallout.
1. Happily Ever After?

**Title: **The More Things Change

**Author: **Michelle

**Rating: **PG-13

**Disclaimer: Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.**

**A/N: Some of the chapters may be shorter than what you're used to, but never fear; the story is almost finished and I plan to post every day. **

**Part 1: Happily Ever After?**

**July 13, Outside ****Dublin, ****Ireland**

"We're going to be lay-ate" Stiles called to his bride in his best sing-song voice. He was, for the third time, calling to her to leave the hotel; he couldn't pry her away from the window.

"It's so beautiful; do we have to go?" Terri asked without averting her gaze from the lush countryside she had fallen in love with. "Can't we stay a little longer?"

By this time, Stiles was behind her. He put his arms around her waist and kissed the back of her neck. "I'd love to stay too, but I don't think Carl will give us any more time off. It's been three weeks already."

Terri sighed, "I know,"and turned to face her husband with a sheepish grin on her face. "I just didn't realize that being alone with you could be so much fun."

Stiles chuckled. "I think there was a compliment in there somewhere."

"Why don't you go get us checked out; I'll meet you downstairs."

Stiles laughed and shook his head. When she smiled at him like that, there was no way he could say no.

"Okay. Meet me downstairs in 10 minutes--or less."

"I'll be there."

Fifteen minutes later. Afterseveral knocks, Terri opened the door. Without stepping into the room, Stiles shook his head and pointed to his watch. "What happened to, 'I'll meet you downstairs?'"

Terri headed back to the window. "I'm sorry. It's just so beautiful."

"Come on honey,"Stiles said as he gently pulled her away from the window. "We've got to go; our cab will be waiting."

This time, she closed her eyes and let him lead her out of the room. "Goodbye Ireland."

Two hours later, the newlyweds were on a plane home. The flight was uneventful and within a short time after take off, both of them fell asleep.

Stiles awoke to find Terri once again staring out a window. He did not want to disturb her thoughts so he sat quietly and watched her.

_Terri stepped out of the room, pink train case in hand, and looked down the corridor. She was completely alone for the first time in hours. Her mother and sister-in-law left moments earlier at her request; she wanted to think about the day, reflect on the momentous, life-changing vow she had taken a few short hours ago—a promise to love him and be faithful to him until death—his or hers. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, he was there. She smiled when she saw him and he returned her grin._

It wasn't until the gears creaked signaling the presence of the landing gear that Terri snapped out of her daydream.

"Hey, you were a million miles away. What were you thinking about?"

She couldn't help but smile. "Our wedding day; It already seems so long ago."

"Hmmm" was Stiles' only response. He smiled in amazement just thinking about how happy he 'd beenthat day.

_The beautiful woman coming toward him was finally his. He could not seem to remember a time when he did not love her. They had been through a lot, but he was sure she loved him too. He could see it in her eyes when she smiled and even when she frowned; she couldn't stay mad at him and he knew it. Today was their day and tonight was hers. What ever she wanted, or didn't, he would oblige._

_"Hey handsome, you ready to go?" She'd asked him._

_"With you, anywhere," He answered sheepishly; he would follow her around the world if she asked. He took the case from her hand, wrapped his arms around her protectively, and kissed her. They had only been apart 30 minutes, but he had missed her._

_"I love you too." Terri whispered in Stiles' ear as she smiled._

_Stiles raised his head. "I didn't say anything." He said as he looked at her in amazement._

_An even bigger grin appeared on Terri's face."You didn't have to."_

_"Eh-hem, you're not on your honeymoon yet." Stiles' usually pale complexion slowly turned a bright shade of crimson hearing his now, brother-in-law's voice. "Your car is here. Everyone is waiting outside."_

_Terri reluctantly let go of Stiles and kissed her over-protective brother on the cheek. She then looked up at her new husband and hooked her arm through his. Kevin couldn't help but smile as he watched them walk away. He was sure his little sister was in good hands._

_The goodbyes were much easier for the newlyweds than for their families. Despite her full awareness that her daughter was grown and could take care of herself, Helen Freemont was a worrier. She just wanted Terri to be happy. When Stiles turned to get in the limo, Helen pulled him aside. "Take care of my little girl."_

_Stiles smiled at her. "Absolutely; I wouldn't have it any other way."_

_"I can't believe you found this car! You're pretty amazing, you know that?" Somehow, Stiles had managed to surprise Terri; he found the same type of convertible Rolls Royce limo that her parents had ridden in when they were married 35 years earlier-the one Terri had been told was impossible to get._

_"That's what I've been told."_

Stiles was brought back to the present when he heard the pilot's voice on the intercom. Like everyone else, he assumed she was telling them about connecting flights and the weather in D.C. It was not until Terri grabbed his arm and he looked up to see fear in her eyes that he really listened.

"…please make sure all of your belongings are under the seat in front of you. Hold onto your ankles and brace yourselves…"


	2. Do I Know You?

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 2: Do I Know You?**

The whir of the machines was almost deafening, but the continuous beep of the heart monitor was comforting. Every beep meant another moment he was alive. Anne Stiles-Kennedy took her brother's lifeless hand in hers and held it protectively to her cheek as she told him how much she loved him. She didn't bother wiping the tears from her face when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"He's a fighter. He has a lot to live for. He'll be okay." Frederick Stiles paused and then more to himself than to his daughter added, "He has to be."

At the other end of the floor, Terri slowly opened her eyes. Her first thought was that of panic. Where was she and why? What were all of the tubes coming out of her body? Her second thought was how much her head hurt—and her chest. After some groaning and stretching, Terri looked around the room.

"Hey. I was wondering when we were going to see those beautiful brown eyes."

Terri blinked and mumbled "Hey" in a voice barely above a whisper.

Helen Freemont nervously ran her fingers through her daughter's hair as she spoke. "How do you feel?"

"How do you think I feel?" Was the thought that popped into Terri's throbbing head as she looked at her mother. But the look of concern on the elder woman's face stopped the thought from breaking forth. Instead, she answered with a calm, but truthful "awful."

"I'll see if they can get you something for the pain."

While Helen was calling the nursing station, Terri closed her eyes and tried to wish away the pain. Within moments, Greg Freemont was in his niece's room. "You know, I was supposed to be off this weekend. What are you doing in my hospital?" He asked jovially trying to ease the tension in the room.

"Hi Uncle Greg, can you do something about the pain? No one said my head would hurt."

"I'll see what I can do. Your Dr. is on her way."

"So, did the surgery go okay?"

"Greg and Helen glanced at each other."

"Honey, what are you talking about?"

Terri frowned at her mother. Her head hurt too much to deal with this.

"Mom, please not today. Did the surgery go okay or not? When can I get out of here?"

"What are you talking about? Sweetheart, the last time you had surgery was when you had your appendix removed, what 10 years ago?"

Terri was now exasperated. Her body hurt and she didn't feel like having a silly conversation. "Please stop it, both of you. If I'm dying, just tell me. What happened?"

"Terri, sweetheart, you're not dying. You are going to be fine."

"She's probably just groggy. It's not unusual-especially considering what she's been through."

"Then why am I here?"

"You were in a plane crash Saturday evening." Greg purposely neglected to mention Stiles. If she wasn't aware of what happened yet, he didn't want to upset her.

Before Terri could respond to the new information, her doctor entered the room. After a short conversation with Helen and Greg Freemont in the hall, Dr. Evans examined Terri.

"Terri, how do you feel other than the headache?"

"Everything hurts. What's wrong with me? They said I was in a plane crash."

The doctor opened Terri's chart and began reading: "You have a concussion, two broken ribs, a few torn ligaments, a sprained ankle, a broken arm…" Terri looked down. She hadn't even noticed her arm. "…and a lot of bruises. Considering what happened, you are doing pretty well I'd say."

"I don't remember the crash. How long have I been here? What day is it?"

"A little overtwo days. It's Monday."

"Two days! Mom, what happened? Was I working? Was anyone with me?"

Just thinking about what could have happened was too much for Helen. She paused and tried to hold back the tears. "They don't know exactly what happened yet. When I think of what could have happened…" As quickly as Helen had begun crying, she stopped; the sadness replaced by anger. "They said it isn't terrorist related, but I don't believe a word of it! They're keeping something from us, I know it!"

"Terrorist related?"

Helen didn't answer. She'd gotten up and walked away from the bed; she didn't want Terri to see her break down. "Mom, it's okay. I'm going to be okay. Right Dr.?"

"I'm going to order an MRI to check on the origin of that headache, but no, your injuries are not life threatening. You should heal just fine and be out of here soon."

As Helen tried to get control of her emotions, the door opened. "Hi, I just wanted to check on her." Stepping fully into the room, Anne Stiles noticed that Terri was awake. "Oh, hi darling, I'm so glad to see you're awake."

Terri flinched when Anne hugged her. Anne noticed and immediately apologized. "Terri, I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"

Terri shook her head no then frowned. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"


	3. Frederick and Annie

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 3: Frederick and Annie**

Frederick sat by his son. A.B. was his only son and Frederick was terrified that he wouldn't make it. He'd barely left the hospital room in three days. The doctors seemed confident that Stiles would wake up, but they weren't making promises.

Frederick had been thrilled when Stiles invited him to his wedding. The two men hadn't been on the best of terms since A.B. joined the "wrong" branch of the military. Of course, to let Stiles tell it, that was his father's fault; if he hadn't been so perfect—in everything—and insisted that A.B. be the same, the younger Stiles would have gladly followed in his father's footsteps. Instead, he became a Marine to prove that he could be more than just the son of the Great Frederick Stiles. Though they remained in contact, Frederick had been unable to forgive him fully.

If only his mother had been alive…Hannah always knew what to say to her son; she could get the stubborn younger man to do just about anything. Then there was Terri; she reminded Frederickof his late wife and just like Hannah, she had the ability to get A.B. to do whatever she wanted. But, if not for Annie, they may have stopped speakingcompletely. She was the one who encouraged her brother to invite their father to the wedding.

"Daddy?"

Frederick quickly wiped away the lone tear that had escaped but didn't avert his eyes from his son.

"How's Terri?"

"She's awake."

"Oh, that's great. Is she going to be okay? You didn't stay long."

Anne sighed. "They think she has amnesia."

"Amnesia?" Frederick asked her incredulously as he finally turned around.

"Yeah, she hadn't been awake long when I got there. She looked at me and asked if she knew me."

_"Honey, it's Annie, Aidan's sister." Helen turned back to the young woman. "She's a little groggy."_

_"Annie?" Annie nodded yes. "I'm a little foggy, I guess. Maybe if I could remember Aidan I could remember you." Terri tried to smile, but she was in too much pain._

_"Mom, who's Aidan?"_

_Helen couldn't answer. She just stared at her daughter trying to figure out what was wrong with her._

_"Mrs. Freemont, would you like me to get the doctor?"_

_The most Helen could manage was a quick nod. As soon as Annie was gone, Terri started questioning her mother._

_"Mom, why are you crying? Who is Aidan?"_

_"I think I better wait for the doctor to come back."_

_Terri was getting scared. "Mom, please, who is Aidan and why do I need to know this person? Tell me. Please."_

_Helen took Terri's hand and looked down at it, avoiding Terri's eyes._

_"He's your husband."_

"When her mother mentioned that she and Aidan were coming home from their honeymoon Terri got upset. She's in a lot of pain and she honestly thought her mother was joking."

"Does she remember A.B.?"

"No, well, she remembers him, but what she remembers isn't good. She told her mother that there's no way she would ever marry someone like him."

The General chuckled. "Yeah, he told me she didn't care much for him when they met."

He sighed as he looked back over at his son. He just wanted him to open his eyes. A single tear fell down his cheek. This time, he didn't try to hide it. He was afraid he would never have the chance to tell him how much he loves him. "Annie…"

"He'll be okay daddy, I know he will. He's a Stiles." She smiled at her father. It broke her heart to see him so sad.

* * *

After an MRI, and what seem to Terri like a CIA worthy grilling, Dr. Evans had delivered the bad news: Retrograde Amnesia. The good news was that Terri could remember most of her past; it was only the last three or so years that were fuzzy or missing. The doctor assured her that most cases of this type of amnesia were temporary, usually resolving themselves within a few days, a few months at the latest. 

Terri and her family were relieved, as was the General.

Thursday afternoon, the General finally got the news he was waiting for.

"Daddy, daddy!" Annie yelled to her father who was taking a much-needed nap in a family rest area of the hospital.

"Annie, what's wrong is it A.B.? Did something happen?"

A broad smile suddenly appeared on the young woman's face. "Yeah, he's awake. Come on. The doctor's in with him now, but he said as soon as he's finished we can see him."

"Don't try to talk."

Stiles was stubborn; he was not about to lie there being poked and prodded without asking a few questions.

"Where am...?" he whispered.

"You're in George Washington hospital. You were in a plane crash several days ago."

Stiles swallowed and looked up at the doctor and chocked out his next question. " What happened to me?"

"You have a cervical sprain, broken collar bone, several broken ribs, a punctured lung (explaining the searing pain every time Stiles took a breath.), a fractured tibia and a nice collection of cuts and bruises."

Stiles started to speak again, but the doctor cut him off. "I meant what I said—don't talk for a little while." The doctor said sternly.

Some bedside manner. Stiles didn't say it, but the doctor couldn't keep him from thinking it.

As the doctor was finishing, Frederick and Annie peaked in. "It's okay, you can come in."

"Hey handsome, it's about time you decided to join us." Annie leaned down and kissed him. She held his hand as she sat down next to his bed.

"Hello son."

Stiles nodded at his father's voice and struggled to remember what landed him in the hospital.

"Do you remember what happened?"

Because the doctor was still in the room, Stiles fought the urge to speak and simply shook his head 'no'.

"You can stay about 10 minutes; he needs to rest. I'll be back in the morning."

Frederick and Annie barely acknowledged the doctor as he left; they were concentrating on Stiles.

As soon as the doctor left, Stiles started asking questions again. "How long have I been here?"

"You've been in the hospital since last Saturday. It will be Friday in a few minutes."

They could see the astonishment on his face as he counted back. "Five days?" He asked. He closed his eyes and tried to remember. After a few moments, his eyes shot open. "Terri.Is she okay?"

Annie and Frederick looked at each other silently.

Their hesitation sent a panic through Stiles. He tried to sit up.

"Hey," Frederick cautioned. "That needs to stay put; you need it to breathe."

"Terri."

"They moved her upstairs. She's healing; her doctor said she will probably be able to go home in a day or two."

Stiles breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed momentarily. Before they could stop him, he'd once again gone after the tube—this time succeeding. He then pulled the blanket from his legs and again tried agian to get up. He wanted to see his wife. He believed his sister, but he needed to seefor himself. Frederick's hand appeared and he placed his palm on his son's chest just as Stiles weakly leaned forward.

"Whoa, what are you doing?"

"I want to see her."

Frederick worked hard to conceal the smile threatening to form. A.B. was back. "No." Stiles furrowed his brow at the sharp tone his father used.

Frederick realized he'd spoken harshly and softened his tone. "You're in no condition to go anywhere. In case you haven't noticed, your leg is in a cast and you're hooked up to a heart monitor."

Stiles sighed in acknowledgement. Every muscle ached. It took every ounce of strength he had just to move the blanket. "Dad, I just want to see her."

Frederick smiled warmly as he patted Stiles' hand. "I know son, I know. Right now, you need to concentrate on getting better. You'll get to see her soon."

Before Stiles could reply, a nurse came in to check on him. Frederick took the opportunity to leave the room. He took Annie by the arm and led her into the hallway. "We'll be right back."

"Daddy, we have to tell him."

"I know, but not now. He just woke up after being out almost six days! He doesn't need to be upset."

"Dad, we can't keep it from him too long; I don't want to lie to him."

"I know. Now that he's awake, I'm going up there to see her and talk to Helen. I want to find out exactly what's going on."

Frederick went back to Stiles' room and said goodnight. "Annie's going to check on her. Get some rest; we'll be back in the morning." Frederick was going to get some sleep for the first time in almost a week.

* * *

The next morning Stiles did his best to get Annie to "confess." He could tell something was up, but he couldn't break her; if he was at full strength he would have tried some of his better "questioning" techniques on her, but he was too tired. He was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. 

Annie kissed his forehead and got up thinking he was out. To her surprise, he grabbed her arm as she turned to leave.

"Go see Terri for me, please. Tell her I love her."

Annie smiled. "Of course, darling; you get some rest. Dad and I will be back later.


	4. Not that Man!

**Title: **The More Things Change

**Author: **Michelle

**Rating: **PG-13

**Disclaimer: **Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story

**NOTE**: Bailey and Chance belong to Dee who graciously let me borrow them!

**Part 4: Not _That _Man!**

"Frederick, she seems fine other than the memory loss. I don't think she believes half of what I've told her about her life though."

"Okay. I'll see what happens."

"Terri, you have a visitor."

Terri checked out the man who'd just entered her room. He was tall, over 6 feet, with a touch of gray in his wavy, light brown hair; he appeared to be in his late 50's. The attractive gentleman reminded Terri of someone, but she couldn't figure out whom. She was busy studying his features when he spoke to her.

"Hello Terri. How are you?"

"I'm feeling a little better." Terri frowned. He was the second person who knew her that she couldn't remember; she didn't like the feeling that gave her.

"I'm sorry; you don't remember me do you?"

Terri nodded, a little embarrassed that she wasn't better able to hide her lack of recognition.

The man offered his hand and Terri slowly shook it while eyeing him carefully. "I'm Frederick Stiles, A.B.'s father."

Terri frowned. There was that name again. At least now, she knew whom the man resembled: A.B. Stiles. Teri had tried to forget what her mother told her the day before. There was no way on earth she would have gone on a date with that arrogant jerk, let alone married him. Did her mother realize how insane that sounded?

Frederick stared at the woman lying in the bed in front of him. He didn't want to believe it was as bad as Annie said, but the look of frustration on Terri's face told him everything he needed to know. "You really don't remember, do you?"

"No, I'm sorry I don't." For some reason, this man's gaze was making Terri uncomfortable. "I don't mean to be rude everyone, but I'm a little tired."

"Oh, I'm sorry dear I'll go." Frederick kissed his daughter-in-law on theforehead and promised to come back later.

"I'm going to walk him to the elevator. I'll be right back." Helen told her. As she opened the door, she got a slight surprise—there was someone waiting on the other side.

"Oh Bailey, I'm so glad you're here. Walk with the General and me."

"No! Whatever you want to tell her about me you can say in front of me."

Helen sighed. She'd wanted to want Terri's best friend about he amnesia before the two women spoke.

"Frederick, will you wait just a moment, please?"

"Of course."

"Bailey, please sit down."

Bailey sat down nervously. She'd been told that Terri would be fine, now she was worried again.

"What is it Helen?"

"They say I have amnesia." Terri blurted out before Helen could say anything.

"Oh! Amnesia, really?"

Both Helen and Frederick nodded.

"So, does that mean you don't know who I am?" Bailey asked cautiously.

"Bailey Elizabeth Callan of course I know who you are!" Terri smiled a little when she saw the look of relief on her friend's face.

"She has retrograde amnesia. She remembers just about everything except the past three years or so." Greg Freemont informed her as he came in.

"That looks like our signal to leave." Helen finally allowed herself to smile. Before Helen and Frederick left, Bailey stopped them.

"General Stiles is he awake yet?"

"He came to last night."

"Wonderful; how is he?"

"In a lot of pain, but the doctors say he should be alright—eventually."

"Oh, I'm so glad to hear it. Can he have visitors, yet? I know Chance will want to see him."

"He's asleep now, but I'm sure it's okay."

Helen and Frederick made their way down the hall leaving the two women alone with the doctor.

"Frederick, I don't know how long this will last. She's adamant that she is not married. I knew they didn't get along when they first met, but I had no idea…"

"He told me it was bad, but…" Frederick sighed. "What do I tell him? He's worried about her as it is. It will break his heart to find out she doesn't remember him."

"The truth" Frederick and Helen looked up to see that Annie had joined them. "Daddy, he needs to know. He won't rest until he knows how she's doing. We can try to get her to see him before she goes home, but she may not want to. We can't keep this from him."

Frederick and Helen gave a collective sigh. Stiles would be told the truth about his wife's condition and they'd let the chips fall where they may.

* * *

"Uncle Greg, this is my best friend, Bailey Callan." 

"It's nice to see you again Bailey."

"You know her?"

"She was in your wedding."

Terri frowned. There was that other word again—wedding. She needed to know what happened.

"I'm sorry to break up the party, but I just wanted to check on you."

"Thanks Uncle Greg."

"You're welcome. Hey, don't wear her out, okay?" Both women just smiled.

Terri called her uncle back just as he reached the door. "Will you ask mom to give us a few minutes, please?"

"Sure" Greg smiled and left the two women alone.

"Bailey, I trust you, you know that right?" She nodded. "I want you to tell me the truth—please."

"Of course; what do you want to know?"

"The wedding everyone keeps talking about. It was fake right, something to do with work. I didn't really—no there is no way I would have married that man."

Bailey was maid of honor at Terri's wedding nearly four weeks earlier; she and Stiles had been so happy. How could Terri not remember that?

"No honey, it was real. If by 'that man' you mean Stiles, yes, the two of you really are married."

Terri tried to ignore the lump that was forming in her throat. "A.B. Stiles the Marine, the arrogant jerk who thinks I don't know how to do my job? No! I am not married to him. I wouldn't go on a date with him much less marry him. I don't even like him!"

Before Bailey had a chance to think of something to calm her friend the door swung open again.

"Hey gorgeous!"

"Hey," Bailey answered, blushing.

The man walked over to the two women and kissed Bailey. "Um, I was talking to the patient."

"Oh." Bailey said, slightly embarrassed.

Terri's eyes lit up. Now this was a man she wouldn't mind seeing more of she thought as the handsome stranger leaned down and kissed her forehead. Terri didn't say a word; she just smiled and looked up at him hoping he'd stay a while.

He laughed. "You have no idea who I am, do you?"

Terri wasn't all that amused. She shook her head. "No, I'm sorry I don't."

Chance extended his hand. "Christopher Chancellor, Chance to everyone but my mother—CIA operative turned Deputy Director, best friend of your other half and her," he added pointing to Bailey, "boy toy of the moment."

"Stop it!" Bailey said as she playfully hit him on the arm.

"If you're the deputy director, what happened to Carl Reese?"

"You mean the Director of Central Intelligence?"

"He replaced Gage? Great for Carl. I'm glad for him. Aren't I?"

Bailey and Chance laughed. "Yes you are. He's been good for The Agency."

Helen stuck her head in to say goodnight. "Oh Bailey, you're still here. Hello Chance. Do you need a few more minutes? I think the nurses are trying to get us out of here."

Bay looked over at Terri who was back to seething at the revelation that she was married to Stiles and the info that Chance was already taken—by her best friend.

"It's okay, I think I've upset her enough."

"Bailey, you didn't…"

"It's okay, I'll be back tomorrow." She smiled and kissed Terri as she and Chance said goodbye and left before Terri could protest.


	5. Home is Where the Heart Is

**Title: **The More Things Change

**Author: **Michelle

**Rating: **PG-13

**Disclaimer: Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.**

**Part 5: Home is where the Heart Is.**

"But it's temporary, right?"

"They don't know Aidan. They did an MRI and couldn't see anything that should cause permanent damage, but there's no way to know for sure. Her doctor said she should regain her memory in a couple of months at the latest; most people are fine within a few weeks," Annie added hoping to cheer him up.

"A couple of months?" Stiles was hurt. He understood that Terri had amnesia, but how could she not remember _him_?

Annie shook her head. "But it may only be a couple of weeks." She didn't bother to add the rest: If Terri didn't remember within in a few weeks, the likelihood that she would remember at all would lessen significantly.

Stiles sighed as he stared at the ceiling. "I still want to see her. We've been through so much, I can't believe this is happening; I thought we were past everything. I thought we could start living our lives like normal people, now this." Stiles began coughing; his next words were barely above a whisper. "She's my wife. She's stillmy _wife_."

Annie and Frederick didn't know what say. "We'll see what we can do, okay? Try not to worry too much. I'll see you in the morning." Annie hugged her brother and kissed him goodnight.

"Annie."

"Yeah?"

"Stay."

Frederick walked over and squeezed his son's hand. "Goodnight son, I'll see you in the morning."

Annie took a good look at her brother. He looked so sad and helpless lying there. "Okay bud, until you fall asleep."

Terri was released from the hospital a few days later with no improvements in her memory. With some prodding, she did agree to visit Stiles before she went home. Helen told Frederick and Annie not to tell Stiles Terri was coming in case she changed her mind.

"Son, are you up for a couple of visitors?"

He wasn't, but he was past caring who came and went. The only person he cared about seeing wasn't coming. "Fine." He answered unenthusiastically.

Helen gave Terri a nudge. "You're coming aren't you?"

"No. He wants to see you, not me. You may not remember being married to him, but he's not a complete stranger."

"Fine," Terri echoed Stiles. Under her breath she added, "at least Annie and Frederick will be here."

Helen gave Terri another nudge as Frederick called to Annie who was reading. "Annie, walk with me for a minute."

Stiles whispered for her to stay. He was afraid he didn't want to be alone with whoever was waiting to come in. She opened her mouth to agree then she saw who was waiting.

She smiled at her brother, "I'll be back."

Stiles rolled his eyes and whispered, "Great!"

Helen, Annie, and Frederick hung in the doorway until the nurse had Terri fully in the room.

"Hi"

Stiles sat up and smiled. ""Hey, I'm glad you're here; I've been worried. Come over here."

"No, I can't stay."

"Yes you can. Please."

Terri allowed the nurse to wheel her closer to the bed. Stiles was staring at her and it was making her uncomfortable.

"I've missed you. How are you feeling?"

"Well enough to go home tomorrow. I can't go back to work for a little while, but they say I'll be fine."

"Good. Do you remember anything yet?"

Terri shook her head.

"Oh. Do you remember me at all?"

"Yeah, A.B. "Absolute Bastard" Stiles, former Marine, from "everywhere" I believe you said."

"That's all you remember about me?"

"Um, you're confident in your abilities, bordering on cocky. No, not bordering on cocky cocky. And even after reading my file you're still not convinced I should be a field agent."

Stiles was worried, it was worse than he thought. "Terri, do you know why we were together when that plane crashed?"

"I've been told that we were on our honeymoon. I have to believe it's a cover."

"That's not true. We _were_ coming home from our honeymoon. We were married in Ireland almost a month ago. We love each other. We went through a lot to get to this point, but we made it and decided to get married. Terri, you mean the world to me. Please believe that."

Stiles' words sent shivers up Terri's spine. His words sounded sincere, but she just couldn't believe that she would fall for him; he just wasn't her type. "Stiles, I'm sorry I don't remember, but this isn't helping. I should go."

Stiles sighed. "You just got here."

"I'm not supposed to be up too long."

"Okay, promise you'll come back. Terri, we are happy together. Give it some time—you'll remember. You have to remember."

"Nurse!"

"Terri, a lot has changed since what you remember. I love you; you love me…"

Terri could see that he was sincere, but she just couldn't reconcile that they would be together and _happy, _no less. If not for her family and friends, she would think he was the one who had amnesia.

That was it. Stiles tried again to convince her to stay during the short wait for the nurse; Terri didn't budge.

________________________________________________________________________________


	6. The Sister In Law

Stiles spent the next three weeks in the hospital. Every day he asked about Terri. When he could speak better, he called her. Every day he called, she made an excuse not to talk to him.

**Part 6: The Sister-in-law**

Annie, who was six months pregnant at the time of Terri and Stiles' accident, went back home to New York before she was too far along to fly. Frederick took a leave of absence so he could stay with Stiles until he was on his feet again—literally.

Helen and Evan kept up with Stiles' recovery and went to see him when they could. When they were tired of making excuses for their daughter, they insisted that Terri talk to her husband when he called. Terri was polite when Stiles called her, but she refused to go see him once she left the hospital.

Three weeks after her release from the hospital, Terri went back to work part time. Stiles' recovery time was much longer. After having his casts removed, he had to endure several more weeks of physical therapy.

Husband and wife barely spoke while each was recuperating. Other than looking forward to her visit, about the only thing that kept Stiles going was talking to his family and friends about his wedding and honeymoon. He was particularly excited when he found out that the airline was able to recover some most of their luggage; the honeymoon pictures were in Terri's bag.

He couldn't wait to go back to work just so he could see his wife. Terri did come by the house once—to gather some of her things after she went back to work.

"Terri, hi come on in."

"Annie, right?" Annie nodded yes, glad that her sister-in-law recognized her this time. "Oh, you had your baby! Boy or girl?"

"A little boy, Zachary Jacob. I'm glad to see you again. How are you?"

"Feeling much better; I'm back to work part time. That's why I'm here; I need my winter clothes."

Before Annie or Terri could say anything else, Stiles walked around the corner holding Zach.

He couldn't stop smiling. He handed Annie the baby and without thinking, pulled Terri into an embrace. He had no idea she was coming and he was thrilled.

"I'm so glad to see you. How are you doing? Have you been released from the doctor yet? Are you at work full time yet?" He was so excited that he fired the questions at her. She hadn't had a chance to answer the first question before he got to the last.

Terri finally interrupted him. "Stiles! I'm just here to get the rest of my clothes. I don't have anything for fall; it's getting cooler." Stiles was so happy just to see her that he seemed not to mind that she wasn't very friendly. She was his wife and she loved him; he was certain of that—whether she could remember or not.

"She doesn't have anything decent to wear at my house."

"Oh Helen, I'm sorry, I didn't even see you."

Helen hugged her son-in-law gingerly, not sure about the state of his injuries. "That's okay honey; I know who you wanted to see. Hi Annie, let me see that gorgeous boy."

"Mother?"

"Yes, sweetheart."

"We need to keep moving."

Helen was astonished by how rude Terri was being and she let her know it.

"Theresa, I'm having a conversation with my son-in-law. We do not have anywhere else to be this afternoon. Just relax and wait."

Helen looked over at Stiles, who was still smiling, and an idea popped into her head. She excused herself, went into the kitchen, and looked around. When she was satisfied, she joined Terri and Stiles again. While Helen was gone, Terri walked into the house and looked around.

"It's really nice."

Stiles smiled watching her admire her handiwork. "You decorated everything yourself."

"I did?" She asked, slightly embarrassed for complimenting herself.

Stiles took Terri by the hand. "Come on, I'll give you a tour."

Terri quickly pulled her hand away from Stiles. "That's okay. Just tell me where my clothes are. Please."

He was disappointed, but he did as she asked. "Up the stairs, second door on the left."

Helen came back a minute later and saw Stiles sitting alone, the smile no longer there. "Where is she?"

"Upstairs. I make her nervous. Annie's up there with her."

"Darling, I'm sorry. I know she hasn't been herself at all, but don't worry. Have you eaten lunch?"

"No."

"Good. Why don't you fix lunch for the two of you while I take off for a little while? " Stiles looked up, slightly bewildered as Helen patted him on the cheek and went upstairs.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Terri, you and I became close while you and Aidan were dating. I was thrilled when he told me you were getting married. I realize that most of what you remember about him doesn't do anything for your opinion of him, but he's changed. You helped him do that."

"Annie, I..."

"No, it's true. I remember how he was, cocky, arrogant, a workaholic. He always cared passionately about his work; he's just like dad in that respect. He wants everything perfect and he'll put everything aside to accomplish whatever needs to be done. Unfortunately, human relations were never his strong point. He often stepped on people's toes without realizing it. Then he met you. I don't know what you did, or how, but Terri you settled him. You helped him understand the need to value the people in his life as much as he values his work. I knew he was in love the first time he told me about you. I could tell by the way he said your name. He called me after your kidnapping. Do you remember that?"

"I know about it."

"He'd fought falling in love; he liked you but he was never the type to commit. Terri, the thought that he would never see you again was too much for him. He risked his job to save you and he would have risked his life." Annie finally stopped and sighed. "Just give him a chance. You fell in love with him once—you could again." Annie looked around the bedroom and added, "He won't even stay in this bedroom until you come home."

Before Terri could respond, Helen walked in. Terri had started a nice pile of clothes on the bed.

"You're breaking his heart."

"What?"

"Honey it's killing him that you barely speak. I know you don't remember, but you can at least be civil to the man; he is your husband."

"You're right, I don't remember and you have no idea what that man is like." Terri saw Annie flinch and immediately regretted what she'd said in front of her. "I'm sorry Annie."

"There's no need to apologize."

"Yes there is! Terri, you're being ridiculous. I do know what he's like. He's charming, smart, stubborn (like someone else I know); fiercely loyal, caring, and willing to do anything for the people he cares about—especially you. No matter how you're treating him he's still thrilled to see you, and the way you've been acting, I can't for the life of me figure out why."

Annie smiled. Helen reminded her of her mother. Maybe that's why Stiles loved her from day one.

"You love him. You stood in this very room not that many weeks ago and told me how you couldn't wait to move in here, how you were ready for the two of you to start your lives together. The longer you act this way the harder it's going to be when you do remember."

"Mom, I don't want to talk about this right now okay?" Terri looked at Annie and was a little embarrassed to be acting as she was in front of Stiles' sister.

"Okay". Helen replied cheerfully as she turned toward the door.

"Annie, I'm sorry, I know he's your brother, but I just can't see us together. I'm not trying to be mean, really."

Annie really did like her sister-in-law and she knew how her brother could be. She gave Terri a hug. "It's okay. Just promise no matter what, I get to keep you."

A warm feeling went through Terri. Why couldn't he be like her? "Absolutely"

With a smile on her face, Helen turned and told Terri the reason she'd come up there. "I haven't been to the boutiques downtown in a while. Today is a beautiful day and since we're here I thought it might be fun to go."

"Sure mom, if you'll help me here we can get going."

"Oh, sweetheart, you're not going. You have too much to do here and I don't want to tire you out. I'll only be gone a little while. Annie, have you gotten to do any shopping since you've been here?"

Annie smiled; she really liked this woman. "Nope, mind if Zach and I join you?"

"I'd like nothing more. I haven't been around a baby in a while."

She shot a look over her shoulder at Terri. "The way things are going, I won't have grandchildren any time soon." Terri ignored the snub knowing that if she didn't, it would turn into another argument.

"Mother what about lunch? I thought we were going somewhere."

"Sweetie, I already took care of that; A.B. is fixing lunch. It should be ready soon."

"Mother, you aren't planning to leave me here alone with him?"

"That's exactly what I'm planning. I should have done it sooner. You're acting like a spoiled brat and that has to stop. I'll be back in a couple of hours."

Terri didn't say anything else; she knew it was useless. She flopped on the bed and rolled her eyes in irritation. It wasn't long before her stomach growled. She would have to face him or starve.

When Terri got downstairs, she got another surprise. Sitting at on the couch was Stiles, holding the baby. Stiles was cooing at the little boy and he was cooing back. Terri wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes.

"Where are mom and Annie? I thought they left?"

Without taking his eyes off of his nephew, Stiles casually replied, "Oh they did. We are babysitting. Annie hasn't had a break since Sam went back home. I told her I didn't think you would mind. He should be asleep soon anyway. Besides, I know how much you love kids."

Terri just stared at was amazed at how good he was with the little boy.

"You like kids?"

"Yeah. I haven't been around many, but I want at least two, maybe three."

Terri had to smile at him; she couldn't help it as she imagined him being a father. She wasn't sure if the smile was because of how sweet he looked or if it was because of how ridiculous it sounded hearing him talk about having kids.

"What?"

"I just can't imagine you with kids that's all."

"Hmm, well you'll have to imagine it." Stiles winked at her. "You're going to be their mother." Terri just stared back, her eyes were as wide as saucers and her jaw was hanging open.

"I need to check on lunch." He held up Zach's bottle. "Will you take him?"

"What?"

"Feed him while I check on lunch."

"Oh sure. I'd love to."

Stiles was as in awe seeing Terri with Zach as see fed him. He stood in the doorway watching them for several minutes. He imagined Terri was holding their child and wondered if it would ever happen.

Lunch was practically silent. Stiles tried to talk to Terri and she answered in one or two words. She was really just confused. People kept insisting that she loved this man, that he was different, but the stubborn streak in her wouldn't let him in.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course"

"You're not my type. How did we…"

Stiles laughed for the first time in a while. "Our relationship developed slowly; there was just something between us. We rubbed each other the wrong way, but we were drawn to each other somehow."

"When I looked back, I saw that it was there from the first day. I knew you were something special, that you were going to challenge me when I found myself lying on the floor of the training room as you stormed out. I couldn't wait to see you again—I was hooked." Stiles smiled just thinking about it.

"You didn't think I could hold my own. What was it you said, that I wanted to stay in the field to prove myself?"

"Um, so I did. What can I say, I love a woman who keeps me on my toes, and you always have. The two happiest days of my life were when you agreed to marry me and the day we got married."

Terri didn't like the way he was looking at her. It was though he could see through her, into her soul. She had a lot to consider.


	7. A Return and a Resurrection

**Title: **The More Things Change

**Author: **Michelle

**Rating: **PG-13

**Disclaimer: Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.**

**Part 7: A return and a resurrection**

Terri continued living with Helen until she was healed physically. Frederick and Annie continued to check on Stiles, but he refused to let either of them stay with him any longer. He'd only let his father stay until he could walk up the stairs on his own and even then, he only let him spend the night on the weekends. It was Frederick's idea to have Annie visit. He knew Stiles would want to see his nephew and Annie could keep an eye on him.

Terri agreed to talk to Stiles once a week just to get her mother off her back. She usually kept it to what was going on at work, but he didn't care. Just hearing hear voice made his day.

* * *

After nearly four months together, Terri and Helen reached their breaking point and Helen suggested alternate arrangements.

"Mother, I am not going to live with him. Do you know what you're asking? No!"

"Theresa Paige, do not speak to me in that tone! He is your husband; you need to spend time with him. How do you think you're going to remember if you never see him?"

"I do see him--every day at work! Believe me, that's enough; I can't get him to leave me alone as it is. I spend all day trying to avoid him. I'm not having this conversation again."

"Fine, but you cannot stay here forever."

Helen had the ability to make Terri feel like a 15 year-old and to Terri's dismay, it didn't take long for her to start acting like one. She rolled her eyes at her mother before storming up the stairs to her bedroom.

She yelled, "Fine!" and just like she did when she was kid, slammed her bedroom door and threw herself on her bed and cried.

* * *

An emergency meeting was called in the Director's conference room. Terri was the last to arrive and the only seat available was next to Stiles. She quickly slid in her seat and focused straight ahead, avoiding his gaze. 

"It seems that there are Sadaam sympathizers infiltrating the new Iraqi government. We cannot allow any of those men to earn or otherwise obtain a seat in their parliament. I don't think I need to tell you how detrimental that would be to our efforts."

Stiles was, as usual, the first to speak up. "So what do you want us to do?"

"Mr. Stiles, direct and to the point as usual. Welcome back."

"Sir, I've been back for almost three weeks."

"I'm welcoming you back to the field. I want you in on this mission. That is, if you're up to it."

A huge smile spread across Stiles' face. He was more than up to it; if it had been up to him, he would have been back in the field the day he returned, cane and all."

"Ms. Low, err Mrs. Sti," Carl didn't know what to call her; he wasn't used to calling Terri Mrs. Stiles, not that she would allow it, and Stiles bristled every time someone called her by her ex-husband's last name. So Carl decided, for the time being, to be informal. "Terri, I want you back out there as well. Are you ready?"

Everyone turned to look at her; everyone in the room knew about Terri's amnesia. Each of them was eagerly awaiting her response. She didn't get a chance.

"She's not ready." Stiles didn't even look at her. He didn't think someone who couldn't even remember her husband, who couldn't remember the most important day of her life had any business on a top-secret mission. He didn't want her in danger. Terri, of course, saw things differently and Stiles' attempt at interference solidified her negative opinion of him. She turned on him before he saw it coming.

"Stiles, I am more than capable of taking care of myself. If there is anything important about forging documents, creating identities, or disguising artifacts that's changed in the last three years, I'm sure Joshua would have let me know by now. You don't tell me how to do my job and I won't tell you how to do yours. Okay?" She sighed and mumbled under her breath. "That's so like you."

No one heard her last comment but Stiles, but it made him smile. She sounded like the old Terri.

Carl interrupted before things got any worse. "You two can discuss your personal issues later. Right now, we have a mission to plan." As Carl finished speaking, the door opened.

"Perfect timing. Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce to you our new liaison to Homeland Security. I believe all of you know Matt Callan."

Matt walked into the room and stood next to Carl. Everyone smiled and congratulated their colleague, everyone that is, except Stiles. When he saw the look on Terri's face a wave of panic went through him.

"Matt? How? You're dead; I went to your funeral. I don't understand."

Five heads turned in unison and looked at Terri.

"Terri, we've known Matt was alive for, what?" Carl turned to Matt. "Three years now?"

Matt shook his head in agreement with Carl's estimate.

Terri was in shock and didn't know what to say; she sat at the table staring dumbly at her old friend while the rest of the meeting went on around her. Matt looked at Terri completely confused as to why she was so surprised. After a few moments of silence, Carl whispered, "She has amnesia," In Matt's ear. Matt winked at his old friend and let her know they would talk later. Stiles didn't say a word; he just looked from one to the other in irritation.

When the meeting was over, everyone filed out, discussing the assignments. Stiles lingered as long as he could before leaving Terri and Matt alone.

As soon as Stiles was gone, Matt closed the door. When he turned around Terri grabbed him and held on tightly for several minutes.

Matt laughed. "Hey, I missed you too."

Terri playfully punched his arm and smiled sheepishly. "I guess I'm supposed to know you're not dead?"

"Yeah, what's this about amnesia?" Matt asked as he sat back down.

"I was in a plane crash, Flight 751."

"Wow, you were on that? I had no idea. I'm glad you're alright; well, except for the amnesia." Matt frowned a little. "Will you get your memory back?"

"Doesn't look like it." Terri sighed as she finally sat back down. "The doctors' said it if I didn't get it back within a couple of weeks after the crash that the chances of total recovery dipped significantly. It's beenmonths."

"Wow. So how are you coping?"

"Really, it hasn't been too big of an obstacle. I haven't embarrassed myself too much—until today."

The both laughed at Terri's comment and noticed the ease of their conversation. Terri did not mention her husband; he was the furthest thing from her mind. Since she didn't mention Stiles, neither did Matt. He figured no news was good news and they quickly fell back into their old routine as though they had never been apart.

"So, from everyone's reaction, you haven't been around here in a while. What have you been up to?"

Matt told Terri much the same story he'd told when her when he was "resurrected" three years earlier:

Quinn had him agree to fake his death and work deep undercover to help catch Ramil Polvon among other things. His sister and later his parents were informed of his status not long after his funeral.

He'd come home again after the situation with the North Koreans became volatile, but mainly to seeTerri when he found out she'd been shot. What he didn't tell her was that he remembered Stiles'. They met at Langley not long after Matt's return. Matt thought Stiles had "his" job and he was suspicious of him. It took a lot of convincing by Carl and Jackson to convince him that although Quinn brought Stiles in, Stiles wasn't involved in Quinn's affairs. Then Matt found out that Stiles was involved with Terri.

Matt laughed when he saw the expression on Terri's face. "Yeah, when you hear the whole story in 10 minutes I guess it is kind of amazing." He didn't tell her that he left out an important part of the story—her.

He had spent a year waiting to come home. One of the reasons he wanted to come back was Terri. Finding out she was not only involved but involved with Stiles was hard. When Terri told him her heart was Stiles' even after finding out Matt's feelings for her, Matt volunteered for an overseas assignment. He didn't like Stiles' type and he couldn't bear having to watch the two of them every day. Matt also was mad at himself for not moving their relationship forward before he "died."

"So, what do you say friend, how about lunch this afternoon?"

"I'd love to."


	8. Lunch, Afghanistan and Enjoying the Mome...

**Disclaimer: Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.**

**Part 8: Lunch, Afghanistan, and Enjoying the Moment**

Matt and Terri spent lunch reminiscing. Matt told her about the projects and missions he'd been involved in and about his involvement in taking down Quinn. Neither broached the subject of Terri and Stiles' relationship. Matt was relieved that she hadn't mentioned the other man, but he was prepared to ask his sister for details later.

"Matt, I still can't believe he was selling us out to the North Koreans, that I was kidnapped and shot. It blows me away. The weirdest part is that I can't remember any of it!"

"Yeah I know. It still boggles my mind that he got away with it for so long." Matt looked at his watch and reluctantly ended the conversation. "I hate to end this, but I've got to get back to work. Listen, I know it's been a long time, but um, what would you say to dinner with an old friend after this mission is over?"

Terri's cheeks colored as she smiled at her old friend. "Are you asking me on a date?"

Matt smiled and fought, unsuccessfully, to keep from blushing. "As a matter of fact I am."

Terri leaned across the table and kissed his cheek. "I thought you'd never ask."

As Terri and Matt were finishing lunch, Chance and Stiles walked in. "Hey guys, we need to get together this afternoon. Meet me in my office at 3:00?"

Chance nodded; Stiles kept looking at Terri. "Stiles, three o'clock okay?"

"What? Yeah, that's fine."

"Good, I'll see you then." Matt and Terri walked out together and went in opposite directions.

"Did I just see her kissing him?"

"It was on the cheek."

"I don't care; my wife shouldn't be kissing other men. I'm going to have to say something to that guy. It looks like he's at it again."

"Relax man. I kissed her on the cheek last week." Chance smiled "Are you going to come after me?"

"That's different and you know it. She probably didn't even tell him we're married."

"Yeah well, normally I'd be on your side, but if things go the way I've planned _that guy_ as you called him will be my brother-in-law."

Stiles stared at his friend, the confirmed bachelor, the self-proclaimed "boy-toy" and grinned. "She finally talked you into it, huh? I told you she would. When are you going to ask her?"

"Well, I was planning on tonight, but it doesn't look that's going to happen. So I guess I'll do it when she gets back."

Stiles patted him on the back. "Well congratulations my friend."

"Don't congratulate me yet; she hasn't said yes."

"She will."

Matt had a meeting with his team at 3:00. For this mission, Stiles and Bailey were to pose as married journalists. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Bailey spoke up.

"Why don't you have Terri as Stiles' wife?"

Terri gave her friend a murderous look when she suggested that she pose as Stiles' wife. Matt noticed the look, but had no idea what was going on. It didn't take long for Jackson to fill him in.

"They are married." Jackson, of course, noticed the look of disappointment on Matt's face and whispered, "You didn't know, did you?"

"Uh, no"

Turning back to Bailey, Matt continued. "It will be fine with Bailey as Stiles' wife. I have something else in mind for Terri…"

Terri breathed a sigh of relief; Stiles breathed a sigh of annoyance. Matt's decision contributed to Stiles' suspicion that Callan was after Terri. The look on Matt's face when Jackson told him that Stiles and Terri are married confirmed that Terri hadn't mentioned it.

The mission went off without incident, but Terri avoided Stiles—despite Bailey's attempts to leave them alone. She finagled a way for them to sit together on the plane, in the hotel van, and in the taxi. It didn't matter, for all the work Bailey did to get them together, Terri worked just as hard to keep them apart. She was too busy thinking about her date with Matt.

It didn't help that their first mission together was to Afghanistan. Stiles insisted on telling her about their first trip there during the flight. During the mission, he was all business, but he started up again on the way home. Terri finally told him to leave her alone.

"Stiles, that's enough. I do not remember "us" okay? What I vaguely remember is you threatening to cut off a man's hand if he didn't tell you what you wanted to hear or did I just invent that memory?"

Stiles was disappointed that Terri found another reason to dislike him, but he was glad that she remembered something besides their first two and a half days together.

"Terri," he started in a calm voice. "That was a very old interrogation technique. You weren't used to seeing things like that when we came here. I didn't hurt the man."

"I don't want to talk about it anymore. I need to get some sleep; I have to go into the office tomorrow."

"Terri, please. Do you remember anything else about that mission?"

"Not really, most things are fuzzy, but I remember you holding a knife to his wrist."

"I asked you out for the first time when we were here. I remember exactly what you said, 'that would be very nice.'" He left out the details. He didn't think now was the time to bring up that he'd asked her out knowing he was leaving the country two hours later and that it was another two months before they actually went out.

Stiles wasn't surprised when he didn't receive an immediate response. However, when Terri still hadn't said anything several minutes later, he took a closer look—she was asleep.

He sighed and just watched her. Sitting there asleep, she was just Terri, his Terri, his wife; He could pretend that she still remembered him. He decided to enjoy the moment.

Bailey walked by and saw them sitting there, Stiles watching Terri; she thought they looked cute. "Hey, how are things going back here?"

"She doesn't want anything to do with me Bailey. Did you know she is going out with Matt when we get back?"

"Yeah, I know. Look, they're old friends, I'm sure it's nothing."

Stiles got up just in case Terri woke up. "Bailey, Terri said they never dated when he was at Langley before. Is that true?"

"As far as I know. Why?"

"I saw the way they looked at each other when he walked in. I feel like I'm going to lose her. It wasn't good before, but I was only competing with her memory, now it's with another guy. Bailey he's my boss!"

"Stiles don't worry, okay; she loves you, you know that. Just hang in there. She will come around. Don't worry about Matt and don't give up on her."

"Yeah, I'm probably just being paranoid." Bailey nodded in agreement and patted him on the back before going to her seat. She also made a mental note to talk to her brother.


	9. First Dates

**Disclaimer: Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.**

**Part 9: First Dates**

Bailey was laughing hysterically. It took every ounce of control she had to keep from spitting her tea across the table. "You said what? Oh honey, it has gotten bad."

"Bay, what am I going to do? It may take months for me to find a decent apartment in the city. I don't think I can take much more. My poor father just walks out of the room every time we start. I love her to death, but…"

"Why don't you stay with me while you look?"

"What?"

"Yeah, it'll be fun." Bailey held up her left hand and added casually, "You can help me plan the wedding."

Terri gasped. One hand flew over her mouth as the other grabbed Bailey's. She'd been so wrapped up in her own problems that she hadn't even noticed the large, pear-shaped diamond and platinum ring on Bailey's finger.

"You're engaged! Oh Bailey, I'm so happy for you! When did this happen?"

"Last night. Oh Terri it was so wonderful."

"I want every detail."

Bailey couldn't stop smiling. She eagerly told her friend all about her engagement—from the romantic dinner to the carriage ride along the river and Chance's tears as he balanced on one knee and asked her to be his wife.

Terri jumped up and hugged her friend. "Sweetie, this is so wonderful. I can't believe he cried. That's so sweet! It's about time! She laughed. "It has to have been, I think I actually remember him." Bailey didn't notice the sadness in Terri's voice as she talked about her memories.

"It did take a while, didn't it? I was seeing Jackson when Chance came back and he didn't want to interfere—but oh how I wished he would have."

"Wait, you dated Jackson? Haisley?"

"Yep. It's a long story."

"I'll bet and I can't wait to hear it. When is the big day?"

"We haven't decided the exact date yet, but we're thinking about Christmas Eve or New Year's Day."

"Bailey, that's so soon!"

"I know, but it will be easy for our families to be here then. Besides, the second after I told my mother I was sure Chance was the one she started planning my wedding. I think she took a page out of Helen's book." Bailey laughed as she thought about the funny, but sometimes-intense discussions Helen and Terri had while planning Terri's wedding. She stopped laughing when she saw the look on Terri's face.

"Oh, I'm sorry; you don't remember any of that do you?" Terri shook her head sadly. Even though she wasn't happy finding out who she married, she was still sad that she couldn't remember what was a very important day in her life.

"It's okay. Finish telling me your plans."

Bailey looked at her friend closely for any signs that she shouldn't continue. When she didn't see any she went on. "All she needed was a ring. I think she started the day she got back from your wedding. You will be my matron of honor, won't you?"

"Like you had to ask! Now tell me more about how you and Chance finally got together."

"Well, I finally woke up and realized that she's my best friend. She's smart, she's beautiful, and she's the only one who would put up with me forever!" Chance grinned from ear-to-ear as he leaned down and hugged her.

Stiles stood by his friends and couldn't help but feel a little jealous as he watched them laugh and hug. He had not had two civilized conversations with his wife since their honeymoon. Getting close enough to hug her was out of the question.

"Hello Terri."

"Stiles"

Stiles gathered up all the nerve he had and sat down next to Terri. "Why don't you come over when I get back Wednesday night? I just got the proofs from the wedding; maybe seeing them will help with your memory. I'll even cook." Terri had finally been convinced that she was indeed married to Stiles, but she still wanted nothing to do with him at least not if they were alone. But, for reasons she didn't quite understand, when Stiles looked at her with his sad, hopeful eyes she couldn't say no. She had had so much fun with Matt the night before that she decided she could tolerate one evening with 'him,' although she was sure she would have a terrible time.

Besides, appeasing Helen was worth one evening with Stiles. Though she and Helen were fighting constantly, she knew Helen liked having her daughter around more. Telling Helen that she had dinner with Stiles would make her happy and ease the blow of Terri's announcement that she was moving out.

"Okay."

Stiles hadn't smiled so much in months. He couldn't believe she'd actually said yes. "Really, uh, okay. I'll stop by OTS around six and you can follow me to the house."

"Finally, maybe she'll start remembering." Chance whispered to Bailey.

"I know. Being away from her is just killing him."

**Wednesday Evening**

Stiles was nervous around Terri for the first time. He didn't know what to say to her or how to act. He felt like he was 15 again and on his first date.

Stiles opened a bottle of wine. He and Terri prepared dinner together and talked about work. After everything was in the oven, Stiles offered her a tour. This time, she accepted.

He took her room by room and stood back while she looked at everything. He hesitated when he got to his bedroom.

"What's in there?"

"That's my room. Well, it is now; I didn't want to sleep upstairs by myself so I…I wanted to wait for you before… I mean, the master bedroom is... I'm not using it."

Terri blushed when she figured out what he was trying to say. "It's okay, Annie told me."

After a short, but uncomfortable silence, Terri spoke again. "We should probably go check on dinner."

"Okay, but there's one more room I want to show you later though."

After watching Terri laugh and smile through dinner, Stiles started to feel a little hopeful. He took her up to the attic and showed her the room where he proposed. Stiles recounted every detail from the dinner invitation and rose he'd left on her doorstep to the invitation he had printed with the wedding details he knew she wanted, and the castle he found for their wedding.

"_We're here."_

_"Here where?"_

_The only thing Terri saw was houses. She was becoming more annoyed by the minute._

_Stiles opened Terri's car door. "Come on, you'll see. It won't take long." Reluctantly, Terri got out of the car. She hoped that if she cooperated, he'd hurry._

_He took her hand and walked up the steps of a red brick brownstone. Terri looked around while Stiles pulled a key from his jacket pocket and opened the door._

_Terri put her hand on her hip and demanded answers. "Stiles, where are we? I'm not going in until you tell me."_

_He gave her a quick smile. "Home, well, if I buy it. I want to get your opinion first. Who knows, maybe one day, it'll be your home too." Stiles raised both eyebrows at her when he said this. Terri wasn't sure what to make of his comment._

_"I'm not moving in with you Stiles."_

_He just rolled his eyes and opened the door. Stiles took Terri on a tour of the entire house. She loved it; she had always wanted a brownstone in the city._

_"One more room and we can go." They walked up to the attic, Stiles holding Terri's hand. "What do you think? Is it me? You think I'd like living in this neighborhood?"_

"_I think it's beautiful. I'm sure you'll love it." I would love living here too Terri thought to herself, but bit her lip to keep quiet._

_"Check out that closet over there."_

_Terri wanted to go home. When Stiles left the rose on her doorstep and gave her a printed invitation to join him for dinner, Terri convinced herself that he going to propose, but apparently, he wasn't going to and now she was touring HIS new house._

_"Stiles, it's a closet. I've seen them before. In fact, you've shown me every closet in this house! It really is late; I think we should get going."_

_Stiles could tell she was irritated, but he just smiled at her, "Then one more won't hurt, will it? Go ahead, take a look."_

_Terri sighed, but opened the door anyway. When she opened the door, she saw a built-in bench. On the seat was a single rose and an envelope with her name on it just like the one on her porch four days earlier._

_Terri couldn't help but smile a little as she turned to face Stiles._

_"Stiles, what is this?"_

_Stiles had a devilish grin on his face, "Why don't you open it and find out."_

_Terri, still smiling, and looking at Stiles cautiously, opened the card. It was another invitation._

_"Read it aloud."_

_Terri raised both eyebrows, watching Stiles. When his expression didn't change, she began reading._

_"Mr. and Mrs. Evan Freemont_

_Request the honor of your presence_

_At the marriage of their daughter_

_Theresa Paige Freemont Lowell_

_To_

_Mr. Aidan Browne Stiles"_

_She didn't get any further. Terri, invitation in hand, looked up at Stiles with questioning eyes. "Stiles…"_

_Stiles was feeling very proud of himself. "I uh, thought maybe it was time you and I got married." As he was speaking, Stiles pulled a small ring box out of his pocket--a baby blue one with a white ribbon. Without speaking, Terri reached for the box. Stiles put it behind his back. "You haven't said 'yes' yet."_

_Terri looked at him with a straight face. "Well, you haven't asked me anything."_

_Stiles but the box back in his pocket and took both of Terri's hands in his and took a deep breath._

_"Terri, two years ago, I walked into the training gym trying to prove that an artist, a female artist at that, couldn't possibly watch my back. What I found was an incredibly beautiful, self-assured woman who tried to beat the crap out of me--just to prove she was more than just a pretty face. I knew right then that I was hooked._

_I had no idea the impact you would have on my life. Now, I cannot imagine my life without you. I haven't depended on or needed anyone for a long time and I liked it that way. At least I thought I did._

_I-I had no idea how little I knew about love until I fell in love with you. I have been miserable the past few months without you. Terri loving you so much scared me, that's why it's taken me so long to get here, but I am here for you--always and I want you to be happy. Terri, I love you. You are my best friend, my soul mate, my life."_

_Stiles knelt in front of Terri still holding her hands. The tears had been welling up in Terri's eyes, but as soon as she saw him kneeling, she couldn't stop them from falling._

_"I would feel like the luckiest man in the world if you would give me the honor of becoming your husband. Theresa Paige Freemont, will you marry me?"_

_Terri had been waiting for this moment. He finally figured it out and he really did want to spend the rest of his life with her. She was so overcome, she couldn't speak. She nodded yes and threw her arms around Stiles' neck. He wrapped his arms around her and the two of them held each other and cried. When they finally stopped crying, Stiles reminded Terri that she had not finished reading the invitation._

_"Saturday, the thirtieth of June, Two Thousand Five_

_Six O'clock in the evening_

_Luttrellstown Castle, Dublin, Ireland_

Terri seemed touched. Her reaction encouraged him to pull out the proofs from the wedding hoping they would jog her memory. They didn't.

"Stiles, I should go; it's getting late."

"Oh," He smiled, flashing his dimples (she'd told him that smile made it hard for her to say no to him) then continued. "You don't have to go. Bailey told me you moved in with her. You know you could have come here. This is your house too."

The smile on Terri's face was almost immediately replaced with a frown. "Stiles, I don't think…" She stopped and changed direction. "We need to talk."

"Okay."

"I think maybe we should get a legal separation."

Stiles stared at her dumbly; he couldn't believe what she was saying. Her request blind sighted him.

"What?"

"A separation. Look, I don't remember anything about us. The doctors said that if I hadn't remembered within a couple of months the chances of my remembering anything were slim. This way, you can go on with your life and…" She was going to say, 'and I can go on with mine,' but the look on his face made her stop.

"I don't want to 'go on with my life.' You are my life. We belong together. Just give it a little more time. It's only been a couple of months and we really haven't spent much time together." Stiles started rambling; he really had no idea what to say.

"It's been 15 weeks—almost four months and I don't remember anything—not just whatever happened with you—almost nothing from the past three years. I just think it would be better for both of us this way."

"It's because of him isn't it?"

"Him who?"

Stiles felt himself getting angry. "Oh come on Terri, Matt. I've seen the way he looks at you, the way you've been looking at him. What's going on between you two?"

"Nothing. We're just friends."

"Yeah, right. I'm sure that's all he wants from you."

"That's not fair. You want the truth?" Stiles nodded.

"All right I am seeing him, so what? We have a lot in common and we've known each other for a long time. We probably would have been together anyway if not for Quinn keeping him underground all that time!"

Terri's words were like a knife in Stiles' heart. He was so upset that he didn't have the strength to say anything.

"I should go. I'll have my attorney send the papers to you."

Stiles didn't say another word. As soon as Terri closed the door, he slumped over on the couch and cried.


	10. A Harbinger of Things to Come

**Disclaimer: Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.**

**Part 10: A Harbinger of Things to Come**

"Is he in there?" Stiles asked Matt's secretary.

"Yes, but I'm sorry Mr. Stiles, he's in a meeting with Mr. Haisley." Stiles didn't care; Jackson could wait.

"Mr. Stiles!" Mrs. Fitzgerald called, but it was too late. Stiles burst through the door, walked behind Matt's desk, and pulled him up by his collar.

"Stiles!" Jackson yelled.

"Stay—away—from—my—wife." Stiles punctuated each word. "Do you hear me?" Matt flinched a little in surprise as Stiles lifted his fist.

"Stiles!" Jackson yelled again as he grabbed Stiles' arm. "Let him go. You don't want to do this."

Stiles blinked and turned to look at Jackson. His friend was pleading with his eyes for Stiles to think before he did something he'd regret.

Stiles let go of Matt with a shove then stepped back. Before turning around, he pointed at Matt and gave him a warning. "I don't care who you are, she's still my wife and if I find out you've been seeing her again I promise you will regret it."

Matt started to say something as Stiles retreated, but Jackson held up his hand to stop him. "Let him go."

Stiles slammed the door as he walked out and Matt and Jackson finished their meeting both pretending nothing had happened. Matt practically jumped out of his skin when his door flew open again not ten minutes after Jackson left.

"You're _dating_ Terri now? "What is the matter with you? Have you completely lost your mind?"

"Bay, I didn't…"

"Matthew Benjamin Callan, do not insult me by telling me you didn't know that Terri and Stiles are married. I know you had to know before now." Bailey sighed to herself, "Now I know what she's been keeping from me."

"Who told you?"

"For crying out loud Matt, what difference does it make? There shouldn't have been anything to tell!" Bailey stopped talking and just glared at him for a minute. "If you must know, Jackson told me what happened in here. I ran into him a few minutes ago. He should have let Stiles hit you."

"Come on Bailey, you know Terri and I would have been together if not for Quinn. I'm just picking up where we left off."

"Oh please! You had better be careful. Jackson may not be around to save you next time," Bailey said dismissively as she walked out of the office without looking back.

Chance found Stiles sitting in the cafeteria staring at the wall.

"So, I hear you threatened to do bodily harm to the Homeland Security Liaison of the CIA, my future brother-in-law."

"I know it was stupid, but I couldn't help it. I can't believe he's seeing her when he knows we're married. I just lost it. She asked me for a separation last night."

"Oh man I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"What am I going to do Chance? She still doesn't remember anything about us. Lex told me she's started to remember some things that happened here and some stuff with her family, but she remembers nothing important about us. Why doesn't she want to remember? We had an amazing time in Ireland then the crash…" Stiles trailed off; he couldn't continue. He didn't want Chance to see him cry.

"I doubt that she doesn't _want_ to remember. Unfortunately she has no control over what she does and does not remember."

"She remembers Bailey. She remembers Joshua, Lex…HIM. She remembers you and she met you after she met me!"

"For the record, I don't think she really remembers. You know me, I'm just messing with her a little to make her think she remembers me. Don't worry; she'll come around. Don't give up on her and don't worry about Matt. There's a reason they never got together. Think about it." Chance gave Stiles a pat on the shoulder and left him with his thoughts.

"I was going to ask how things went last night, but I just heard. A separation, huh?"

"You were already asleep when I got home; I didn't want to wake you for that."

"Did things go that badly?"

"No, actually, it was fine. We talked a bit and he showed me some photos of the wedding, told me how he proposed. But Bailey, I felt _nothing _for him—not one thing."

Things were worse than she realized. "Even when he told you about the proposal? You didn't feel anything when he told you how he surprised you with the house and the wedding in Ireland?"

Terri shook her head. Bailey looked at her and sighed. "And when you're with Matt?"

"You know?"

"Yeah, just found out about that too—it seems Stiles told him to stay away from you. If it hadn't been for Jackson, big brother would have a pretty nice shiner by now."

Terri was disgusted. "See Bailey, that's another reason I can't believe I would be with him; he's all about brute strength. Matt is so much more compassionate about everything. He is an excellent agent, but he's subtle, not some Rambo. How dare Stiles say something to him? It's not his place."

"Terri, even though you don't feel anything for him at the moment and as much as you hate hearing it, he _is_ your husband. He's hurting Terri. I saw how happy he was when you agreed to have dinner with him. He would never admit it, but he doesn't know what to do with himself right now. He wanted you two to have some kind of understanding before Thanksgiving which is just around the corner."

Despite herself, Terri asked, "Why by Thanksgiving?"

"Thanksgiving is a special time for the two of you. You should ask him about it."

"Bailey I know you're trying to help, but…"

"Terri, he's lonely right now and he's scared. He feels like Matt is taking you away from him."

"This isn't about Matt!"

"No, sweetie it's about you. Forget about how you _think_ you feel about Stiles right now. Think about how you'd feel in the same situation. Think about how you felt when you were with Jeff and you found out he was seeing someone else."

"That's not fair Bailey. This is not the same thing! Jeff chose to break our marriage vows; he cheated on me with full knowledge of what he was doing. I am not like him; I'm not sleeping with Matt"

"The thing is, to Stiles you might as well be. He loves you and he wants you home with him, and he knows you don't really want anything to do with him. Then he finds out there's another guy. It's eating him up Terri. Just think about it." With that, Bailey got up, hugged her best friend and went back to work.

Terri got back to OTS and just sat there. She was in no mood to work; she decided to ask Joshua if she could leave early.

Joshua looked up as soon as she got to the door. "Are you alright? You seem different today."

"No. Joshua, my life is a mess and I need some time alone to think."

"For the record you do love him."

"Not you too."

"I think it's time we had a little chat. Have a seat."

Reluctantly, Terri sat. She knew there was no point in arguing with him.

"He saved your life, ya know."

"Who?"

"Mr. Stiles, after you were kidnapped by the North Koreans."

Terri quickly dismissed Joshua's attempt to redeem Stiles in her eyes. "He was just doing his job."

"No, as a matter of fact, he was risking his job. That was the day you finally realized how much he cared for you. It was the first time he told you he loved you."

"How do you know?"

"Oh, a little birdie told me."

"Joshua, I can't…"

"Yes you can. Give him a chance Terri. Before you sever all ties to him, get to know him again. Find out what made you fall in love with him."

"I'll think about it—_if_ you'll let me have the afternoon off."

Joshua laughed as he stood up, hugged his "daughter", and told her to go home.


	11. Shoulders to cry on part A

**Disclaimer: Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.**

**Part 11: Shoulders to Cry On: Part A**

"Theresa!" The office manager jumped from her seat, practically running around her desk. She enveloped Terri in a hug and squeezed her tightly. "It's been a long time. I am so glad you are okay. We were all so worried about you. How are you?"

Terri forced a smile. "I'm…" She paused, deciding how truthful she wanted to be. "fine." The other woman could tell she was not being entirely candid, the hesitation (and Helen) gave her away, but she didn't push. "Candace, I really appreciate the cards and flowers all of you sent." Hoping to avoid any more questions, Terri changed the subject. "Is she in?"

"Um…" Candace stood on her toes and looked into the adjacent office. "She's just finishing with a client. Can I get you anything while you wait?"

"No, thanks."

"Alright. It looks like they're on their way out now."

As she was walking her clients to the door, Helen spotted her daughter. "Terri, what are you doing here? Is something wrong? Why aren't you at work?"

Terri couldn't keep the tears from falling; just seeing her mother did it. She fell into her mother's arms and sobbed.

"Honey, what is it?"

Without moving her head from her mother's shoulder, Terri spilled everything. "I don't know what to do. He was so nice when we had dinner, but I don't feel anything for him mom, nothing. Then there's Matt. He's so sweet and I care about him. I always did…"

Helen heard something she did not like. She lifted Terri away from her just enough to see her face. "Wait. Who is this Matt person?"

"Bailey's brother."

"Oh, him again," Helen didn't bother trying to hide her annoyance. "Come in my office and sit down."

The two women moved into Helen's office and closed the door. Helen set her phone to go straight to voicemail. She wanted to talk some sense into her daughter.

"Now tell me everything from the beginning."

"Matt's the new Homeland Security Liaison; he replaced Robert Quinn. I didn't remember that he was alive, you know because of the amnesia. Anyway, we had lunch the afternoon they introduced him and mom, it was so easy talking to him. He asked me to dinner and I went. We're going out again tomorrow night."

"Oh?" Helen didn't like what she'd just heard.

Terri nodded and continued. "I agreed to have dinner with Stiles last night. I thought I should tell him in person that I think we need to separate legally."

"You did what? Theresa what are you thinking—separation? You haven't you even tried with him. He's your husband. You stood in front of 150 people and promised to love him and to be faithful to him for the rest of you life. I don't think I need to remind you that this is the _second_ man you've promised to stick to. At least you had a valid reason for dumping the last one, but Terri, you are not thinking straight. If he is willing to stay with you, you owe him the decency of trying to have a marriage, not running off with the first man who shows you some attention!"

Now Terri was insulted. "Are you finished mother?"

"For now."

"You have no idea what this has been like for me. Mom, I don't remember my own life! People I don't remember are constantly testing me to see if I remember them or some situation we were in years ago. And through it all I'm supposed to smile and act like everything's okay. Well mother, it is not okay! Matt wants me to remember; he cares about me and he doesn't want anything from me unlike Stiles who is at me all the time. Last night he told me about when he bought the house, he told me how he proposed, he showed me pictures. He was nice, but he keeps trying to force memories on me. Matt isn't trying to do that. He's just supporting me. He just wants to spend time with me. That's it!"

Helen sighed and sat down. "Well, he doesn't want you to remember your husband. It's not in his best interest!

Terri sat down, defeated.

"Honey, I'm sorry. You're right, I haven't really thought about this in terms of it being hard for you. I love you. I just want you to be happy, and sweetie I know you were happy with A.B. I have never seen you as happy as you were on your wedding day; you were positively glowing. And I have to admit that I've grown pretty fond of A.B. too. I don't want to see him hurt. I can't imagine what he's going through. I know how much he loves you. Does he know about this Matt person?"

Terri was exasperated. She should have known not to tell her mother about Matt, but she needed to talk to someone away from the office. "Mom, please don't refer to him as 'that Matt person.' Okay? I care about him."

"You didn't answer my question. Does A.B. know you're seeing another man?"

"Yes, he knows about Matt. Well, he knows we went to lunch anyway."

"Well, I don't know what to say. My daughter is having an affair, sneaking around behind her husband's back. The same woman who cried for months because her husband cheated on her is having an affair…"

"I'm not having an affair. Just because we're spending time together does not mean we're having sex!"

"Fine Terri, but you haven't even given A.B. a chance. That man would do anything in the world for you. Have you considered dating _him_?"

Terri shook her head. She was about to say something else when she saw Candace standing outside her mother's door with what appeared to be two more clients. She stood up and gave her mother a hug as she approached the door.

"Honey, I do love you, but you need to think seriously about what you're doing. Don't give up yet; spend some time with your husband. You fell in love with him once, you could do it again."

Helen was the second person to tell her that. Terri gave her a slight smile as she walked out of the drove home thinking about the conversations she had with Bailey and Helen; as much as she hated to admit it, Stiles was her husband. Maybe she did owe him a second chance.

"I've been thinking about this all afternoon. My mother had a fit when I told her about the separation. I want to fix things so I can move on with my life, but I don't know how."

"May-be you should move into the house with him."

Terri and Bailey turned and stared at the door. "Chance!"

"What?" Chance asked slightly bewildered at Bailey's irritation. "We're getting married in a few weeks, in case you've forgotten Ms. Callan…"

"Seven weeks, two days and…" Bailey looked at her watch "six hours."

"I don't think she's forgotten." Terri laughed.

"Good. Anyway, as I was saying, you dear Terri, still need a place to live after Bailey and I get married. If you haven't found anything in a couple of weeks you should think about moving in with him while you look for a place. I'm sure he wouldn't mind. What am I saying? He would love it and maybe something will jog your memory." Chance shrugged his shoulders as he picked up an apple and walked out of the room.

"That's not a bad idea you know."

Terri just looked at Bailey. "You're supposed to be on my side. You're my best friend."

"I'm his friend too. He's going to be the best man in my wedding."

Chance stuck his head back in the kitchen. "I'll talk to him for you."

"The two of you have been conspiring against me, haven't you?" Terri laughed despite herself. She knew they both cared.

"Well, I wouldn't call it conspiring exactly, more like behind the scenes coaching." Chance said as came into the room and winked at her.

"Bailey, I think he's a keeper."

Bailey kissed her fiancé and hugged him tightly. "Yes, he is. Now get out. We girls have things to discuss!"

Chance kissed both women--Bailey on the lips, Terri on the forehead. "I'll see you two lovely women tomorrow." Turning to Bailey, he made his best puppy dog face and added, "Call me later?"

Bailey nodded yes and blushed as she smiled at him.

"Oh Bay, you're so lucky. He adores you."

"I know! And Stiles adores you; give him a chance."

"I'll think about it."

"Good, now let's get back to work; we have favors to make!"


	12. Shoulders to cry on part B

**Disclaimer: Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.**

**Part 12: Shoulders to Cry On: Part B**

"Hey," Stiles greeted Bailey stiffly. "What are you doing here?"

"Good morning sunshine. It's nice to see you too! I was out running errands and I just happened to end up in your neighborhood."

Bailey laughed as she looked at her friend. He was standing in his doorway in an old t-shirt and shorts sporting a two-day old beard. Things inside didn't look much better: there were dishes in the sink, clothes thrown haphazardly around the living room and more than one empty beer case next to the trashcan.

"Do I need to call a maid for this mess and a barber to take care of that beard, love?" Bailey was smiling as she kidded her friend. Stiles was not smiling. He led Bailey into the living room and sat down.

"I'm sorry. It's not like you to take off. Terri told me about the separation, and I wanted to check on you.

"Bailey, I don't know what to do. It's like a truck ran over me. Here I thought we had a terrific time and she springs that on me."

"I just can't talk to her. She won't listen. It's as if I'm the enemy. Was I that horrible to her when we met?"

"Uh-huh" Bailey laughed, trying to lighten the mood, but it didn't work. "Oh, I'm sorry Stiles."

"Did you know she's been seeing your brother?"

"Yeah, I just found out. I heard about your visit to his office too."

"I know he's your brother Bailey, but if Jackson hadn't been there I would have knocked him out with no regrets."

"Look, don't give up; she'll come around. She chose you before remember? Matt makes her feel comfortable because she knows him."

"I just have so many things to say to her. I love her, why can't she see that?" Stiles picked up a pillow and stood up. "It's just so frustrating!" Bailey had to duck as the pillow whizzed by her ear.

"Bay I'm sorry, I just…"

"I know. Come here." She patted the seat next to her. "Listen, I have an idea that may help."

Finally a slight grin from Stiles as Bailey smiled at him, "I'm afraid to ask. I know that smile."

"Here." Bailey handed Stiles a leather bound journal.

"What's this?" Stiles asked frowning.

"A journal. Write down everything you want to say to her. Instead of "Dear Diary" it can be "Dear Terri." Bailey was obviously proud of herself.

"Diary? Bailey, I'm not a 16 year-old girl; this is my life we're talking about here. You of all people should understand."

"Stiles." Bailey took his free hand. "Look, it's a proven fact that writing down your feelings helps. I think you need to get your thoughts together and go get your wife. Right now, you're so jealous of Matt you can't see straight. She needs to see the man she fell in love with, not the one she wanted to throw overboard. Just think about it okay?"

"Yeah Bay, maybe."

Bailey hugged her friend then stood up. As she made her way to the door she reminded Stiles of the real reason she was there. You know I love you both, right?"

Again, he had to smile. "Yeah, thanks, but I still don't know about this diary thing."

"Oh you will! And it's a journal! I have to go run some real errands. Don't want the Mrs. asking too many questions now do we?"

While Stiles scoffed at the idea of a journal at first, it soon became his safety net. When he got sad about something Terri did or did not say to him, he wrote it down. He wrote down things that happened since they were in the hospital. If she smiled at him, he wrote it down. If she smiled at Matt, he wrote it down. He used ten pages on Thanksgiving alone.

It wasn't long before he discovered the therapeutic value of rereading the pleasant entries and writing about hitting Matt instead of actually doing it. He even took it on trips. It was pure catharsis.


	13. Unforgettable

**Disclaimer: Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.**

**Part 13: Unforgettable**

Terri did think about what Bailey and Chance, and her mother said—to give her marriage a chance. She called her lawyer and told her to hold off on the separation, but she and Stiles didn't see much of each other; Stiles spent days at a time out of town. Terri spent Thanksgiving at her brother's and Stiles spent Christmas in New York with his family.

The New Year began with a wedding. Bailey Callan and Chance Chancellor were married aboard the Odyssey on the Potomac River on an unseasonably warm January evening.

"Bailey, you look amazing."

"Really? Thank you. I can't believe how nervous I am--and happy, and scared, and excited!" Bailey's mother and grandmother enveloped her in a hug. Her best friend was across the room in her own world. While the photographer was with Bailey, Bailey's mother talked to Terri.

"What's wrong dear? You seem a little sad today."

Terri put a plastic grin on her face and lied. "Oh, I'm fine; I just want to make sure everything is perfect for them. I guess I'm a little stressed."

"Teresa Freemont, I've known you for a long time and I'm a mother; that in itself gives me the ability to see through phony smiles. Something is going on—now spill it!"

Terri laughed and gave Liz a genuine smile. "You're right, of course, but this is Bailey's day and my issues take a back seat."

Liz looked at the clock. "You have 20 minutes and nowhere to go. Start talking young lady."

Terri couldn't refuse Liz's "offer."

Terri could feel the tears welling up in her eyes and took a deep breath to keep them from falling. "I wish I could remember being as happy as she is right now. I wish I could remember my wedding. I hear it was beautiful."

Liz felt sorry for her adopted daughter. She stood up and hugged her before encouraging her to continue.

"I don't even remember our relationship. Things are awkward at work. It would be so much easier if he would just let me go."

"And then there's Matt."

Terri looked at Liz in shock. "He told you?"

"Oh no, Bailey told me weeks ago. He knows I'd put him over my knee—dating a married woman! I raised him better than that and I know your mother did the same."

"Liz…"

"She told me you two aren't sleeping together. But Terri listen, I was at your wedding and it was beautiful. You were beautiful and you were so happy. You know I adore you and if you and Matt are in love and want to pursue a lifelong relationship that's your right, but just remember one thing—you loved Aidan enough to promise to spend the rest of your life with him. The only thing that's changed is your memory of that promise." When Liz finished, she gave Terri another hug. She left Terri with more to think about then returned her attention to her little girl.

Chance and Bailey had an intimate ceremony, attended by 100 of their friends and family members. Stiles was mesmerized as he watched Terri walk down the isle; he thought she looked almost as beautiful as she did the day of their wedding. He wanted to catch her eye, but she wouldn't look his direction. When the minister began the vows, Stiles lost it. He was more emotional than he'd been all those months earlier when he was the one repeating the words, "in sickness and in health…till death do us part."

As the bride and groom promised to love, honor and cherish one another, Stiles repeated the words in his head as he watched Terri. As the minister pronounced Bailey Callan and Christopher Chancellor husband and wife, Terri looked up to see Stiles smiling sadly at her, a tear trailing his cheek.

Terri's breath caught in her throat when she saw Stiles watching her. She dismissed her feelings as joy for her friends, but deep down knew it was because of the expression on his face; the only thing she saw when she looked at him was love—love for her.

Matt noticed Stiles watching Terri and Terri watching Stiles. He also saw the tears in Stiles' eyes. The look on Stiles' face made Matt feel a little guilty, but Terri was seeing him because she wanted to. He wasn't ready to give her up.

The first person Helen looked for at the reception was her son-in-law. As soon as she had a chance she pulled him aside. "Have you asked her to come back home with you?"

"Yes, several times."

"Well, now might be a good time to ask again. She's homeless right now."

"What?" Stiles didn't catch Helen's meaning.

"She needs to be out of the house by the time Bailey and Chance come back from their honeymoon."

"I thought she put a bid in on a condo."

"She did, but her realtor could be persuaded to 'lower it a bit,' make it a little easier for the other couple…"

"Helen, I don't want to…"

"You don't want to what? Honey, you love her."

"Yeah, and I keep telling her that, but she doesn't want to hear it. We're speaking less now than right after the accident. Helen she won't listen!"

"Don't try so hard. You know how stubborn she is; if she thinks you're trying to get something over on her she'll run, but if you just let her know you care, that you want her to be happy she may come around."

"Except that she's falling for someone else."

Helen sighed. "I know about Matt. She's comfortable around him, but you're the one she married. She married you even though she knew he was alive. If she had really wanted to be with him she could have been, but she chose _you_. She loves _you_. She's just scared. Matt is a security blanket for her. That's all."

When the DJ invited the bride and groom to the dance floor for their first dance Bailey felt butterflies in her stomach. This was the one part of the wedding that she allowed Chance to do all by himself; she had no idea what song he'd picked and she was a little concerned that it wouldn't be "the right thing."

She needn't have worried. The first thing she heard was what sounded like the crackle of a 45, then the melodic voice of Nat King Cole singing one of her favorite songs:

_Unforgettable, that's what you are  
Unforgettable though near or far  
Like a song of love that clings to me  
How the thought of you does things to me_

_Never before has someone been more_

_Unforgettable in every way  
And forever more, that's how you'll stay  
That's why, darling, it's incredible  
That someone so unforgettable  
Thinks that I am unforgettable too_

_Unforgettable in every way  
And forever more, that's how you'll stay  
That's why, darling, it's incredible  
That someone so unforgettable  
Thinks that I am unforgettable too_

Even before the first verse ended, Bailey was in tears. Before the second verse ended half of their guests were too. Even Chance couldn't keep a few tears from escaping when his bride whispered in his ear, "I love you; It's perfect," and kissed him.

Stiles, who'd been watching them dance from a distance felt sick; he and Terri had talked about how fun it would be if their friends got married, how they would dance together at the reception, how they would reminisce about their own wedding. That day was here but it was nothing like they had discussed. Terri was across the room with Bailey's family and he was alone, watching.

At the end of the song, Terri who had shed a few tears herself, hugged the happy couple and told her friend, "I told you he's a keeper."

After Bailey and her father and Chance and his mother danced, the DJ asked the rest of their immediate families and their attendants to join them on the dance floor. At Chance's request (unbeknownst to anyone else), the DJ called them out in pairs: Bailey's Mom and Chance's dad so they could dance with their new son and daughter-in-law respectively; Terri and Stiles as matron of honor and best man; and Matt and Chance's younger sister Camryn. Terri looked around trying to get Bailey's attention. She was going to hurt her when she got the chance. When Bailey finally saw Terri, she just shrugged her shoulders and smiled. It wasn't her idea, but she thought it was a good one.

It wasn't until everyone was on the floor that the music began. Stiles took Terri's hand in his and put his free hand on the small of her back. He could feel her apprehension so he made sure he kept them at arms length.

_"I love you for sentimental reasons  
I hope you do believe me  
I'll give you my heart"_

As the first verse ended, Stiles looked down at Terri and smiled.

_"I love you and you alone were meant for me  
Please give your loving heart to me  
And say we'll never part"_

He pulled her a little closer.

_"I think of you every morning  
Dream of you every night  
Darling, I'm never lonely  
Whenever you are in sight"_

He couldn't take his eyes off her.

He pulled her closer so their chests were touching; Terri didn't protest.

_I love you for sentimental reasons  
I hope you do believe me  
I've given you my heart_

She finally looked up at him; he smiled at her.

_"I love you for sentimental reasons  
I hope you do believe me  
I've given you my heart"_

She felt safe in his arms.

For reasons she couldn't explain, she didn't want him to let him her go.

The song ended and Terri and Stiles lingered on the dance floor staring into each other's eyes both trying to find some hint of recognition. Stiles missed holding her so much he didn't want her to move. He tilted his head slightly and leaned down. If asked, he would have sworn Terri tilted her head up and leaned into him just a little. They were so close he could feel her breath on his lips. Stiles closed his eyes….

"This next song is by request. Come on everyone, it's time to get moving!"

The DJ's voice blared through the microphone taking Terri back to her new reality: the one where she was single and wasn't very fond of the man standing in front of her, though for a brief moment she couldn't remember why. She was embarrassed and moved away from Stiles so fast it startled him. She wanted to get away; she needed to think.

_Note: Both songs are by Nat King Cole_


	14. Tell Me How You Really Feel

**Disclaimer: Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.**

The DJ's voice blared through the microphone taking Terri back to her new reality: the one where she was single and wasn't very fond of the man standing in front of her, though for a brief moment she couldn't remember why. She was embarrassed and moved away from Stiles so fast it startled him. She wanted to get away; she needed to think.

**Part 14: Tell Me How You Really Feel**

"Um, I should check on Bailey and make sure everything's okay." She was gone before Stiles could say anything.

"Hey, Mrs. Chancellor, is everything to your liking?"

"Oh Terri, it's better than I imagined! Everything is wonderful; I can't believe this day is finally here! Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being my friend. For being here."

"You're welcome. Where's that handsome husband of yours?"

"I don't know, but if he's not back soon I'm going to have them check the lifeboats!" Bailey glanced over Terri's shoulder at Stiles, who was dancing with Bailey's mother, but watching his wife.

"Hey, I noticed you spent some quality time with your man. What was that all about or should I ask?" Bailey asked smiling and playfully nudging Terri.

Terri immediately turned red. "Nothing, it was just a dance."

"That was not _just _a dance. Looked like you two were pretty close."

"No, not really."

"Oh come on, tell me you didn't feel something."

"I don't know Bay. When he was holding me it felt natural, like I belonged in his arms, but when the music ended I looked up and it was_ Stiles, _you know?"

"Look, if you two aren't at least dating by the time Chance and I come back…well let's just say I may have to take drastic measures."

Terri looked up in time to see Chance sneaking up on Bailey. As she finished talking, he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and put his head on her shoulder.

"Are you talking about me again?"

Bailey laughed and turned to kiss him. He moved slightly and she missed his mouth and got him on the nose leaving a big lipstick print. "See, that's what you get for being nosey! We were talking about the sparks I saw flying between our two best friends out there on the dance floor."

"I noticed that too. Is there something you want to share ma'am?"

"No. It's a good thing you two are leaving town for a while, I need a break." The three of them laughed as Stiles looked on and smiled. He quit smiling when he saw Matt join the group. A few moments later, Matt and Terri were dancing. When he couldn't take watching them any longer he walked out on deck for some fresh air.

Stiles found a quiet spot along the rail and spent several minutes just staring into the water listening to the faint beat of the music. He closed his eyes when the next song began and and enjoyed the cool air against his tired face. As he stood there, his mind wandered, but eventually found its way to the dance he shared with Terri.

_I__ can't believe how close we came to kissing. She felt something for me, she had too. Is she ever going to remember? Heck man, you don't care if she ever remembers just as long as she comes home._

_What about Matt? I should have decked him when I had the chance. I can't believe that guy. Who does he think he is anyway? She's my wife. She loves me! I know she does—it's in there somewhere, I just have to draw it out of her._

Stiles was so deep in thought that he didn't notice Terri walk up beside him 15 minutes later.

"It feels nice out here for January."

Stiles smiled when he saw her. "Yeah."

"Can we talk?"

"Of course, what's on your mind?"

"I want to move into the house." Terri surprised both Stiles and herself with her directness. "I mean, I've been staying with Bailey and I really need to move out before they come back from their honeymoon. I could go back to mom and dad's but I don't think that's the best idea..."

Terri was more uncomfortable than she thought she would be and began rambling.

Stiles wanted to jump for joy; finally, she would be at home with him where she belonged! He put her out of her misery.

"Terri, of course you can move into the house. You don't need to explain anything to me. It is your house too."

Terri relaxed a little. "Yeah, right, well, I still don't remember much so I…" She had practiced what she was going to say but it wasn't coming out right. It was different when he was standing next to her.

"It's okay, I understand that you want your own room. Just like Andros." Stiles couldn't help the slight smile that formed.

Terri felt silly. She nodded yes without looking at him. "Andros?"

Stiles smiled—he was going to get to tell her something about their past. "Andros Island; it's where we went for our second date." He was going to say more, but he noticed that Terri was frowning and he was fine if she never remembered the nasty argument they had about Jeff that weekend.

"What?"

"I spent the weekend with you on our second date? That doesn't sound like me."

"Oh, well we'd actually known each other for quite awhile before that and like I said, you had your own room; it's the only way you would agree to go."

Now that sounded a little more like her, "Oh"

After another awkward pause, Stiles blurted out what he really wanted to say, "Terri, I love you and I don't want our marriage to end before it's even started." He stopped to gather his thoughts before continuing.

"Stiles please, I just want a place to live; it's temporary until I can find a place. This isn't about us, really, I just…"

"Terri, I know I'm pushing and I know all of this is hard for you. I wouldn't want to wake up and not remember a huge part of my life, especially something as personal as my marriage. I know it's been six months, but I'm not ready to give up on us. Not yet."

"The doctors told me that the longer I go without remembering the smaller the chance that I will ever remember."

"I didn't realize." Stiles responded sadly. It was worse than he realized.

"I know. Listen, what if I give it a year?" Terri blurted. She had been thinking about it for a while, but she hadn't figured out how to approach Stiles with her idea.

"What do you mean?"

"I'll hold off on the divorce. When were we married?"

"June 30."

"So June 30, is six months away. If I haven't remembered anything by then, I'll file for divorce."

Part of Stiles was thrilled that she wasn't going to push the separation, but hearing the word divorce sent a wave of panic through him. He had six months to help her regain her memory or she was going to leave him for good.

"Okay" was the most he could manage as he tried to process the full meaning of what she had said.

"There's one other thing."

Stiles held his breath as he waited for the next bombshell.

"Please don't try so hard. No matter what you say to me about how things used to be, I just don't remember. I'm not trying to be mean, really."

"I know you aren't, but…." Stiles stopped when he saw Terri fold her arms across her chest defensively. "Look I'll make you a deal, I'll promise not to push or get upset when you don't remember something if you'll do something for me."

"What?" Terri couldn't imagine what on earth he was going to have her do.

"Try to understand that all of the things you can't remember about us are things I never want to forget. I look at you and I see my wife, my soul mate, someone that I would give my life for. You look at me and see someone you're not sure you want to be in the same room with. As hard and as awkward as this is for you, it's just as awkward and hard for me."

Terri thought for a moment and began to feel a little bad about the way she'd been treating him. "I'm sorry, Stiles, I should have realized…"

Stiles gave her a sad smile. "It's okay. So, on a more upbeat note, when do you want to move?"

Terri was more than a little relieved that Stiles changed the subject. "Next Friday; I'm supposed to be house-sitting while they're gone. I've already asked Joshua for the day off."

"Oh, I'll see if I can go in late that day so I can help you; nothing's planned that I know of."

"No, that's okay."

"Terri, I'm happy to do it, really." He gave her a devious smile then added, "I'll tell the boss Chance approved it since he will be thousands of miles away on his honeymoon. I'm sure he won't mind."

"It's okay, really. Matt will help. I didn't want to bother you and with your schedule you won't even know if you'll be in town." She wasn't sure why she'd said it; she hadn't mentioned anything to Matt, but something about the way Stiles was looking at her made her uncomfortable and Matt's name just came out.

Stiles face contorted as he tried to conceal his hurt and anger. There was that name again. If he didn't have to work with him, Matt would have been in serious danger. "Oh, I see."

Fortunately for Terri, their conversation was interrupted with the announcement that the bride and groom were about to cut the cake.


	15. Mother Knows Best

**Disclaimer: Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.**

**Part 15: Mother Knows Best**

While Terri was talking to Stiles, Liz pulled her son aside for a chat.

Matt held his breath waiting for whatever his mother was about to say, though he had an idea that it was about Terri.

"I want you to know that I know about you and Terri and I don't approve. You know better. She's married Matthew, what are you thinking?"

"Mom, there's no marriage. It's in name only and I'm not even sure it's that. She doesn't even remember him and right now she's not interested in having anything to do with him."

Liz leaned in and whispered to her son. "You're very lucky we're at your sister's reception. If we weren't I'd have you over my knee. You're acting like a teenager with overactive hormones! Are you sleeping with her?" Liz heard Terri's version, but she wanted to hear it from Matt. If he was sleeping with a married woman, she'd disown him!

"Mother…"

"Don't mother me! Answer the question!"

Matt rolled his eyes and whispered, "No, not that it's any of your business!"

Liz grabbed him by his arm and pulled him close to her. "What you're doing is wrong and you know it, whether you're having sex or not! I was at their wedding and let me tell you something Mr.—those two love each other and they belong together. Her memory loss doesn't change that. She's scared and confused right now, even if she doesn't realize it. She remembers your friendship. If you really cared for her you wouldn't be taking advantage of her."

"That's not fair; I am not taking advantage of her. I do care for her. I care for her more than you know. If it weren't for circumstances beyond my control, I know the two of us would be together; she should be my wife now, not his."

"Matthew, I'm sorry things didn't turn out the way you would have liked. I'm sorry you ended up mixed up with Robert Quinn, I really am, but none of that is an excuse for what's happening now. If you really cared for Terri you'd want to do what is best for her; you'd want her to be happy. Instead, you're thinking about yourself, how you can win. This isn't about you beating A.B; it's about that girl's life. What you should be doing is figuring out a way to help her remember her husband. He loves her dearly and whether she remembers it or not, she loves him."

Matt sighed as he looked at the disappointment on his mother's face. "One more thing you need to consider: how are you going to feel when she realizes she's in love with him? What happens to you when she remembers that she knew you were alive and she still chose A.B?"

Liz didn't wait for a response from him; whatever he was going to say didn't matter anyway, she'd said her piece and Matt knew arguing was of no use.

Matt drove Terri home—Bailey's home and what would also be Chance's home in a couple of weeks. Their relaxed conversation soon turned into relaxed kissing, which soon turned into something else. Matt decided to push the issue. If Terri wanted him, he wanted her to prove it. He was tired of playing second to A.B. Stiles.

"Matt stop I can't. Matt!" Terri put her hands on Matt's chest and gently pushed him away.

"What's wrong? I thought we were ready to take our relationship forward."

"I'm sorry. It's just..." Terri couldn't look at him while she talked. She got up and began pacing the room. "Even though I don't remember and even though I wish it weren't the case, I am married. And as long as I'm married I'd feel like I was cheating. According to my mother, I am anyway just seeing you, but after Jeff, I couldn't…"

"Terri, do you have any feelings for him?"

"No." Terri threw her hands up in the air as she turned to face Matt. "I'm not sure Matt. I've started to remember a few things. None of them good, but then when we were dancing at the wedding there was something there. I don't know what I'm doing right now."

"What happened to getting a divorce?"

"Everyone said I was being hasty. When I went to talk to him the other day…Matt, I'm moving in with him. Not like...It is my house too and I need a place to live. We talked about it tonight."

Matt tried to put his mother's words out of his head, but he was worried; he was afraid that he was going to lose her again before they really had a chance. He finally thought Terri was going to be his; he was in love with her, and now this. "Moving in with him? I told you if you needed a place to stay you're more than welcome to move in with me. You know I'd love to have you."

"I know you did and thank you. I didn't say we had to stop seeing each other, but as long as I'm married I can't live with you. My mother would never forgive me; Bailey would never forgive me; Chance would never forgive me…."

"You mean Stiles would never forgive you." Matt was getting angry. She said she didn't want anything to do with Stiles, yet now she was moving in with him. "Somehow, he has a hold on you, but you say you want nothing to do with him so what is it?"

"Matt, please try to understand. I do care about you--a lot, but I need to do this my way. I told Stiles that I would move into the house, but we'd be roommates, nothing more. After what happened with Jeff I would feel like a complete hypocrite if I didn't at least try. When I sign those divorce papers I want to be able to say that I tried to remember what we had. I told him I'd give the marriage one year and then…"

"Terri, that's what, five—six months?"

"It's only six months and we can still see each other."

Matt sighed and tried to calm himself. He was disappointed, but deep down he knew she was right. After several minutes and in a quiet voice he asked, "then what?"

"If I still haven't remembered anything I'll file for divorce; and he won't contest it."

Somehow, Matt's brain finally woke up and took over. "Just know that I care about you and I'm not going anywhere—no matter what you're not getting rid of me."

Terri was relieved. She hugged Matt and told him that she felt like things would be okay—for both of them.

"Oh, and one more thing."

Matt bristled—what else could there be? "What?"

Terri smiled. "I told him you're helping me move."


	16. Moving In

**Title: **The More Things Change

**Author: **Michelle

**Rating: **PG-13

**Disclaimer: Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.**

**Part 16: Moving In**

Matt showed up at Bailey's early Friday morning with breakfast for Terri and himself. They loaded their cars with the few belongings, mostly clothes,Terri had. After loading the cars, Matt helped Terri fluff pillows and wash linens. Once they felt the house was tidy enough, they decorated it for the newlyweds.

Terri was sitting on the floor laughing when Matt pulled her up.

"Okay sunshine, we better get going, it's getting late."

"Yeah, I guess so." Surveying their artwork, Terri added, "I hope they like our handiwork!"

"Oh, I'm sure they will. But if they don't, I'll be sure to let them know it was your idea." Matt smiled and winked at Terri as they dragged themselves out of the house and made the short drive to Terri and Stiles' brownstone.

Terri found the keys Stiles left for her and opened the door to find a dozen yellow roses, her favorite, on the hall table with a note. _'Because I know you remember how much you love these. Love Stiles_

Terri smiled and Matt watched uncomfortably. This wasn't going to be easy.

Terri's room was across from the master bedroom. When she went in, she found clean linens on the bed and another dozen roses. Terri noticed that Stiles had already moved a lot her things from the master bedroom. Her clothes and shoes were lined up in her closet and her other personal belongings were stacked neatly in the window seat.

After making the bed and putting her other things away, Matt and Terri collapsed on the bed. Without thinking, Matt rolled over and kissed Terri. She responded, but within a few seconds, something made her stop. She didn't say anything; she just ended the kiss and quickly got up. Matt wasn't playing by the rules.

"How about dinner? I'm a pretty good cook ya know?"

Matt groaned inwardly and reluctantly stood up. She may not be ready now, but he had no intention of giving up. He'd waited this long, he could wait a little longer; he knew sooner or later she would give in.

"Sure."

Terri walked downstairs with Matt following closely. "We may have to go to the store; I have no idea what he has in there."

"No problem."

Terri rummaged through the refrigerator and the cabinets and was pleasantly surprised when she found both full. When she pulled out the first pan, she found a note. "I wanted to make sure you were eating properly! Love mom."

"I should have known."

Terri cooked while Matt prepared a salad. They had just finished setting the table when Terri heard the front door open.

Stiles was excited and nervous about Terri moving in. He worked hard between the wedding and her moving day to be nice, but not too nice. He was proud of the way he had been able to handle things. He just hoped things would go as well when she actually moved in. He smiled when he got home—she was cooking dinner for them. '_This is going to work out well.'_

"Wow, what smells so good?" Stiles asked as he walked into the kitchen. He stopped in his tracks when he looked into the dining room and saw Matt.

"Hi, I didn't realize you would be here so early. We were just about to eat." Terri looked back and forth between Stiles and Matt. She hoped this wouldn't be a problem.

"What are you still doing here?" Stiles eyed Matt over Terri's shoulder.

"Stiles…"

"No, this is my house and I want to know what HE is doing here."

Matt sighed. He was afraid this was a bad idea. Matt was concerned that Stiles may make good on his threat to punch him. '_Why didn't I give him more to do today_?'

"We just finished getting…"

Terri was irritated with Stiles' attitude. "Matt, we're not at work; you do not owe him an explanation. Stiles, as you keep reminding me, this is my house too. If I want to have company, I will. I 'm sorry Matt's presence bothers you, but we've been working hard all day moving my stuff and now, I'm making him dinner."

Terri watched as Stiles countenance fell as he became angry. Then she remembered the deal she made with him at the reception: she was supposed to keep in mind that even though she doesn't remember, he does. She also remembered that Stiles threatened to do bodily harm to Matt and thought she should change her tone. She plastered a smile on her face and added, "Stiles, there's plenty of food. Join us?"

_I'd rather eat nails_ "No thank you, I've got some work to do. I'll just grab a plate and go upstairs." On his way out, he mumbled under his breath, "Enjoy your little dinner date."

Stiles walked back in the kitchen and grabbed a plate. He filled it with the meal Terri cooked and started walking out. He had the kitchen door halfway open when he heard them laughing. A knot formed in his stomach as he looked at the plate in his hand. He didn't want it. Callan probably helped cook it and there was no way he was going to eat anything that man cooked. Stiles turned around and threw the whole plate in the sink.

Stiles got to his room 5 minutes later, frozen dinner in hand, and found his journal. He had to vent somehow and since actually choking Matt wasn't a viable option, he would write about it.


	17. Now What?

**Title: **The More Things Change

**Author: **Michelle

**Rating: **PG-13

**Disclaimer: Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.**

**Part 17: Now What?**

Stiles had no idea he could live with someone and still be lonely. Much to his annoyance, Terri didn't spend much more time with him after she moved in than she had before. They spent more time together working than they did at home. He usually went to the office before she did and they rarely came home at the same time. The few times Stiles got her to hang out with him, they had a nice time, but those occasions were rare.He worked overtime trying to come up with ways to get her to talk to him, often leaving her notes or mementos about their relationship before he left on one of the many assignments Matt had been sending him on in recent months.

One morning, after hearing Terri making plans with Matt, Stiles tried to get someone to do something with him. Everyone had plans. Bailey and Chance were having dinner with her parents, Lex had a new girlfriend and Jackson was doing something with his son. He finally gave up and decided to stay at work for a while.

Chance and Bailey dropped by the house later that evening.

"Stiles asked us to come over earlier, but we had plans with mom and dad. They cancelled on us—last minute tickets to see Pavarotti. Is the invitation still good?"

"Stiles isn't here, but of course you can come in!" The three friends hung out much as they did before Terri and Stiles were married. Matt join them later.

"Hey, what's this?" Chance asked as he looked at Stiles' CD and DVD collection.

"I don't know, but there's a note." Bailey looked over Terri's shoulder as she read the message. "It's from Stiles."

"A little something that may spark a few memories. But I'm not pushing."

"Ahh, he drew a happy face and signed, A.B."

The leather case had Terri and Stiles' names embossed on the cover. Inside was a DVD with what appeared to be a photo from their wedding on it.

"Hmmmm, it looks like it may be your wedding. I think he wants you to watch it. What do you say?"

"You want to see the video of my wedding? Weren't you all there?" Terri asked, her face contorted in a semi-frown.

Chance definitely did not want to watch a video of their wedding, but when he saw the scowl on Matt's face, he suddenly became all for it. "Well, not exactly. Matt wasn't there."

"Yeah, of course, maybe if I'd been in town you wouldn't have been marrying him."

"Matt…"

"Sorry. Look, I'm trying here."

Terri ignored the siblings' as she examined the DVD case and cover. She kissed Matt on the cheek. "I have to admit, I am a little curious."

Chance rolled his eyes when Terri kissed Matt. Even though Matt was his brother-in-law, Chance was definitely on Stiles' side.

"We don't have to watch the whole thing though. When we finish, you can pick out a movie for us to watch, deal?"

Matt had to kiss her back—on the lips, which further annoyed Chance and irritated Bailey. "Deal." Matt grabbed the remote and sat next to Terri on the couch.

After a musical interlude and a voiceover, the video began. Matt, Chance, and Bailey got an eyeful of Terri and Stiles making out on the boat in Nice. At first, all of them were slightly in shock, but when Terri and Stiles collapsed onto the cushions Terri came out of it. Bailey put her hand over Chance's eyes. Terri practically ripped Matt's hand off trying to get to the remote, causing him to drop it. While she wasgrabbing for the remote, Stiles walked in. By the time Terri finally got the remote under her control, Matt and Bailey were getting a close-up of Stiles removing her bikini top.

Terri stopped the video and started to apologize. "I have no idea what that was, but…"

"It was the night we captured Polvon; you know, the guy who supposedly killed you." Stiles snarled, looking at Matt. Stiles' first thought was that his two best friends had betrayed him. He couldn't believe they were sitting in his house with Terri and "the boyfriend" after they told him they were busy.

"What's going? I thought you two had plans with Liz and Carson."

"They cancelled on us. We thought we would take you up on your offer, so we stopped by."

Stiles was still irritated that they were hanging out with Terri while she was with Matt, but he was relieved that he was wrong about their motives.

Terri looked back at the TV and saw that she had put the video on pause. She stared at the boat and at the little bit of the bikini she was still wearing. Both were familiar, but what she was doing with Stiles was not.

Terri found the stop button then looked at Stiles while everyone else sat in uncomfortable silence. "Stiles, I remember the night we captured Polvon, but I do not remember that." She said pointing to the TV. "What did you do to this video? What kind of sick joke were you planning? Did you think it would be funny for Matt and me to see this together?"

"No! Don't be ridiculous, I wouldn't stoop to that level. Terri I haven't even seen…"

"Forget it Stiles. I knew you were bad news even then. Guys I'm sorry about this." And embarrassed and angry she wanted to add.

"I think that's our cue to leave," Bailey threw out as she pulled Chance from the couch.He said goodbye to Terri and patted Stiles on the back as they walked to the door and waited for Matt to join them.

Matt said goodbye to Terri then paused and added, "darling," and kissed her on her cheek. Stiles stood by and watched, fists clenched.

Chance lit into Matt the minute Terri closed the door. "What was that 'darling' bit back there?"

"I called her darling, so what?'

"Yeah, in front of her husband who wants to take off your head! That was going too far and you know it."

"Stay out of it Chance."

Chance was about to say something when Bailey stopped him. "Matt, he loves her and she's still married to him."

"I know they're married—everyone keeps reminding me, but they have no marriage, we all know that. They're roommates and she obviously wants to be with me." Bailey just sighed. Matt was heading down a dangerous path and he was too blind to see it.

"Are you sleeping with her?" Chance chimed in.

"That's none of your business!"

Bailey whispered "No" in Chance's ear.

Matt rolled his eyes when Chance laughed at him. "Goodnight Matt. My wife and I are going home."

Matt stood there and watched them drive away. He got in his car and for a second and looked at the closed front door wondering what was happening inside.

As soon as Matt was out of the house, Stiles started trying to explain again. "Terri, I didn't have anything to do with that. Where did you get it?"

"Stiles, please don't insult my intelligence. I 'found' it exactly where you left it. I guess you think you were pretty clever with your little note too, don't you?"

"Terri, I had nothing to do with doctoring that video. I left it for you because I thought it was the video of our wedding. I didn't leave it for you to watch with Callan. I don't even want him in this house!"

"Don't start that again!"

Stiles sucked in his jaw to keep from exploding. Matt Callan was the bane of his existence and his own wife was the one that kept the guy around. He knew he couldn't go there now, so he turned the discussion back to the video.

"I haven't even seen the video because I wanted to watch it with you. The only reason I left it out was because I thought seeing it might help you remember something." What he really wanted to say was, 'There's no way I want Callan seeing my wife naked, though he probably already has.' Stiles wanted desperately to ask if they were sleeping together, but he couldn't do it. Every time he got close, he stopped himself. He was too afraid of the answer.

"What, you're telling me the wedding is on here too?"

"I don't know where that came from. That happened after our guys came for Polvon. We found out weeks after that night that the cameras on the boat were still recording; everyone at the office found out what happened--Lex, Joshua, probably Quinn, Jackson and who knows who else. We learned to laugh about it later." Stiles couldn't help smiling as he thought about that night.

Terri wasn't smiling. "You know what? That is the most ridiculous story I have ever heard. There is no way I would (1) do something so unprofessional (2) do it with you! I barely knew you. I am not that type of person and I refuse to believe that I have changed that much! Goodnight Stiles."

"Terri wait, come back."

"I have nothing else to say," Terri yelled as she ran up the stairs. She was angry with him and angry with herself. Every time she began to think that he wasn't so bad, he pulled some stunt. She wondered how she ended up married to this guy.

Stiles sat down on the couch and sighed. Thirty minutes later, he gave up on Terri coming back down and decided to go to bed. Before he went to sleep, he got out his journal. After watching Terri with Matt, he was really worried for the first time—worried that he could actually loose his wife to Matt. Their anniversary was fast approaching and they just couldn't seem to get on the same page—one step forward two or there or four steps backward.

As annoyed and upset as he was, he still loved her. He sighed in frustration as he wrote:

_"Dear Terri,_

_I had a chilling thought—What if I ever lost you, really lost you. It was worse than a nightmare. The scare woke me up and I wasn't even sleeping. I thought about how I would feel if you were gone.. I didn't think I could feel worse than I have the past few months, but how would I feel if I really lost you? What would I do? You are more than just a better half. You are a better whole. If I ever lost you, I don't actually know what I would do. Without you I wouldn't have existence, because now you are all I live for."_

Stiles sniffed and opened his eyes wide as he put his pen down. He wasn't going to let the tear fall, not this time.

Stiles' journal entry is adapted from the poem "If I ever lost you," by Poetri and featured in Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam on Broadway.

**Reviews are welcome and encouraged...I still check stats every now so often.**


	18. Gone With the Wind

**Disclaimer: **Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.

**Part 18: Gone With the Wind**

Terri went to her bedroom and slammed the door. She wanted to call Bailey but decided against it. After spending an hour feeling sorry for herself she fell asleep—holding the teddy bear Stiles brought her after one of his recent trips.

The next morning Terri got up and decided to do a little exploring. Hoping to avoid another confrontation with Stiles, she opened the door a few inches and peaked into the hall. After making sure the coast was clear, she jogged across the hall and slipped into the master bedroom; she realized she'd never gone in there to make sure all of her things were out. The first thing she found that she remembered was that blue bikini, the one she wore in Nice. She thought about the conversation she and Stiles had the morning of Polvon's capture.

_"So how long you been with the company?"_

_"Almost three years."_

_"Married?"_

_"Divorced?"_

_"Humph" he answered in that smug little voice of his; like he wasn't surprised she couldn't keep a man._

_"What is that supposed to mean," she'd asked him. His response was tattooed on her brain._

_"Were you sleeping with Callan when he was killed?"_

_After her initial irritation with the question, it hit Terri that he may be interested in her; that made her smile. It had been a long time since she'd had that kind of attention and it was nice, even if it was from the arrogant A.B. Stiles._

Terri thought back. At some point during that trip, she had really looked at him and decided that he wasn't too bad to look at. What had happened to make her kiss him? She had to watch that DVD again. Was that really her? She'd borrowed the outfit from the costume department. What she didn't understand was why she still had it.

She peaked out the door, again no sign of Stiles, and headed downstairs to get the video. Stiles beat her to it. When she got to the living room there they were again, in the throes of passion. Terri started back up the stairs.

"Terri, wait. I made breakfast. The biscuits should be ready any minute. Join me?"

"I don't know."

"Come on, we had a deal, remember?"

"Yes, we had a deal and you broke it with that stunt you pulled last night. I'm still mad at you."

"You're always mad at me," Stiles mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing. Look Terri, I promise I didn't know" Stiles thought about it for a minute. "But so what if it wasn't the wedding, what happened on that boat is part of our history; it's something good that happened between us close to the time you remember. I'm glad you saw it. Maybe now at least you'll believe that _you _wanted _me_; you started that."

Terri didn't even respond to him. She just huffed and ran back up the stairs. Before Stiles could figure out what to do, she was back, keys in hand.

"Where are you going?"

"Out!"

Before she could get out the door, Stiles yelled after her, "You have a lot of nerve! You're sleeping with my boss and you're mad at me?"

Terri acted as if she didn't hear him and slammed the door behind her. Even though she was starving, the thought of sitting across the table from him wasn't very appealing at the moment. On her way to the restaurant, she started crying. She pulled over and put her head on the steering wheel. She was all alone. Matt was at work and not really an option as a roommate, her mother told her in no uncertain terms that she couldn't move in with her unless her life was in danger, Bailey was married, and her brother's was too far away for a reasonable commute. She knew he'd tell her to suck it up and stay with Stiles anyway. She just wanted her life back—the one she remembered.

When Terri pulled herself together, she made her way to Cracker Barrel. She ordered her food to go then changed her mind; she wasn't ready to face Stiles yet. She was relieved when she got home and Stiles' bedroom door was closed. She spent the rest of the day trying to figure out how to avoid him a while longer.

On the way upstairs, Terri turned around and went in the den for a book; she'd discovered their vast book collection one night when she hadn't been able to sleep. She had a feeling it would be one of those nights, so she decided to look for a book early. She perused the bookcases and one book caught her eye, _Gone With the Wind. S_he thought it was a little odd that it was in French and she stared at the book trying to remember why it seemed familiar. Then she remembered—she'd seen it in Nice that day. She and Stiles had passed a bookstore near the Marina. She'd talked him into stopping when they were on their way to the warehouse after Quinn was put on house arrest. She remembered going in the store, but she didn't remember buying the book. She didn't have any money with her at the time. Was this the same book? Did she go back for it later?

The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became. First it was the video, then the bikini, now this book. What else happened on that trip?

Terri read a little of the book before going to sleep that night. She drifted off concocting scenarios; she planned to talk to Lex and Jackson Monday morning.


	19. Annie

**Part 19: Annie**

When Terri went downstairs Sunday morning Stiles was already gone. He left coffee brewing for her, an assortment of her favorite pastries on the counter, and a note that said he'd gone jogging. As much as Terri didn't want to admit it, he was being very nice.

Terri padded around the house not sure what to do with herself. She was digging around in the attic when the phone rang. Terri didn't recognize the number but she answered anyway—she had a feeling she should.

"Hello."

"Terri?"

"Yes, who's calling?"

"It's Annie. How are you?"

"Hi Annie! I'm fine, what about you? How's Zachary? I bet he's gotten big!"

"We're doing well." Annie hesitated. Terri was at the house, answering the phone. Her brother mentioned that she was home. She just hoped he was still living there too.

"You're answering the phone. Does this mean…"

"I moved in a few weeks ago."

"How are things going?" Annie paused briefly then asked, "Did you get your memory back?"

"No, I just needed a place to live; mom and I needed a break from each other. I was staying with my friend Bailey, but I still hadn't found a place when she got married so here I am."

"Oh. Well I'm sure Aidan is happy regardless. Is he home?"

"No, he went jogging. He should be back soon. Do you want me to have him call you?"

"Sure. Listen, Terri..."

"Um-hum?'

"Take care of him, okay?"

Terri didn't know what to say. Taking care of him wasn't part of the deal, but being a sister she understood.

"Annie, believe me, he does a pretty good job taking care of himself."

"Terri, can I ask you something?"

Terri answered "Sure" though she had a feeling there was some sort of lecture coming.

"Are you really seeing someone else?"

Annie's question caught Terri off guard. She wasn't sure what to say. "Sort of, why?"

"Terri, my brother adores you. He would sacrifice his well-being without question to protect yours. Your happiness means more to him than his own. He loves you that much."

"Annie I…"

"Terri please, I'm not trying to make you feel guilty, I just want to make sure you understand what you have. Look, I know he can be gruff and arrogant and sarcastic among other things, but underneath that "I don't care attitude" is a little boy who just wants to be loved. I know he's scared to death that you'll leave him."

Terri didn't say anything for a moment. What could she say, that she was being selfish and mean? That for reasons she didn't quite understand, she was reluctant to let herself fall in love with him again? "You really love him, don't you?"

Annie smiled into the phone. "Yes I do, and so do you."

"Annie…"

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to give you a lecture. I'm just worried about him. He seems so sad and I hate that. Please think about what I said."

"I will."

"…and tell him I called."

"Of course. Give Zach a hug for me?"

"Absolutely. Thank you Terri. I'll talk to you later?"

"Sure. Goodbye Annie."

Terri hung up and couldn't stop feeling guilty. Talking to Annie always made her feel like she needed to take another look at Stiles.

He got home not five minutes after Annie's call. "Morning, d'you sleep okay?"

"Yeah fine. Annie just called. She wants you to call her."

The whole conversation was awkward. Stiles wanted to clear up what happened with the video. He'd spent the entire morning rehashing the video and their recent arguments. "Thanks. Look, Terri, about the other night…"

"I don't want to talk about it anymore. Let's just leave well enough alone."

Stiles didn't want to leave well enough alone, he wanted to explain, he wanted desperately for her to tell him she wasn't sleeping with Matt, but he knew from the look on Terri's face that further discussion was out of the question—at least at the moment.

Terri took her turn jogging. As soon as she left, Stiles called his sister.

"Hey Sam, its A.B. how are you? When are you coming down so we can catch a game?"

Stiles and his brother-in-law talked for a few minutes before Annie got on the line. "Hey big brother, I talked to Terri earlier, how's that going?"

"Well, we've already had an argument; make that several arguments."

"Honey I'm sorry. She told me she still isn't remembering, but you are talking at least. That's more than you were doing."

"Annie, I don't get it; we danced at Chance and Bailey's wedding—if the DJ hadn't interrupted, we would have kissed right there on the dance floor. Then she asks the "other guy" to help her move in here. I get home Friday night and they're on the couch. Did I tell you she has a boyfriend? It's like she's torturing me on purpose."

Annie adored her brother and would never purposely hurt him, but she had to laugh; he was so pitiful it was almost comical. He was very dramatic. "No, you mentioned a guy that was interested, but you didn't tell me the boyfriend part and neither did she when I asked her about it earlier."

"What did she say?"

"Not much, just that she's seeing him. I am sorry. Just try to hang in there okay?"

"Annie, I'm tired of hanging in there. Did she tell you that she and the guy she's seeing knew each other before I moved here? Did she tell you that he's my boss and that he rubs their relationship in my face every chance he gets? He called her darling right in front of my face—in my house! If I didn't think I would get fired, I'd punch his lights out!"

Annie didn't know what to say; it was worse than she thought. "Aidan, she isn't torturing you, she's just. . . confused. She probably feels comfortable around the guy and he's taking advantage of the situation. I know it's hard, but try to look at it from her perspective. She'll come around, don't worry."

"So everybody says. It's been seven months. Annie, she told me she would stick it out until our anniversary, but if she still doesn't remember by then, she's divorcing me."

Annie was optimistic despite her brother's despair; it was her nature. She spent the next 30 minutes trying to convince him that things were bound to get better. By the end of their call, Stiles was ready to try again.

Unfortunately, Terri was not. When she came home, she went straight to the bathroom and turned on the hot water. Before she could fully turn around, she heard a blood-curdling scream. Terri jumped and spun around. She gasped when she looked down.

There, in the tub, with bubble bath up to his neck, was Stiles. "I know you're mad at me, but scalding me is a little mean, don't you think?" Stiles growled at her.

Stiles, I'm…" Before the word sorry left her lips, Terri started snickering.

"What?"

"I'm sorry I burned you."

"You don't sound sorry."

"It's just you, in the tub. I wouldn't have pictured you as the bubble bath type, that's all."

Stiles tried not to smile, he was supposed to be mad, but he couldn't help it. "I'm not. The bubble bath is yours; I borrowed it. You said it's good for your skin so every now and then I take a bath. Is that okay?"

Terri kept laughing. "Uh-huh. I'll uh, go use the other tub."

Stiles sat up. "No!"

"Why not?"

"That's part of the deal. That room is off limits as long as we're not together."

Terri huffed and mumbled as she walked out "you and your rules!"

"What was that?"

"Nothing! I'll wait. Just make sure you rinse out the tub!"

After Terri showered, she left again without saying anything to Stiles. When Stiles returned from running errands, he found a note from her informing him that she would be spending the night at her parents' house.

Stiles was lonely and he was tired of it. He went to work that afternoon just to have someone else to talk to. When he got home, Stiles pulled out his journal and wrote furiously. When his hand hurt too much to continue, he decided to go to bed.

Stiles got out of bed and wandered into the bathroom trying to forget about the dream he'd just had about Terri. He knew from recent experience that the misery from a cold shower would take his mind off her--at least temporarily.

"Stiles, get out!" He looked up to see Terri in the tub.

"Hey, what are you doing here? I thought you were staying with your parents tonight."

"I was, but I…it's a long story and I don't feel like discussing it. Now will you please leave? "Terri wasn't about to tell him that after a heated argument about her relationship with Matt, her mother told her to go home.

Stiles looked down and saw that most of Terri's bubbles had disappeared. His breath caught in his throat as he looked at her. Her hair was in a loose bun and several wisps had fallen out and were now slightly wet. She was sitting there doing her best to cover herself as more of the bubbles vanished.

Terri freed one hand, grabbed the shower curtain, and tried to close it. From her position, she couldn't make it budge. "Will you stop staring at me? I'd like a little privacy here or is this some kind of payback?"

Stiles snapped out of his trance. "What? No, I'm sorry." He said, and turned around, but he didn't leave.

"I thought you were leaving."

"Not while I have your full attention."

"What do you want?"

"To talk to you."

"If you insist will you at least close the curtain?"

Stiles backed up and with some direction from Terri on it's location, closed the curtain without turning around.

"I love you."

"Stiles, please not now."

"Terri, I thought we had a great time at Bailey and Chance's wedding. At least I know I did."

Terri sighed. "So did I."

"Well what happened since then? It's like we take one step forward and two or there back. We live in the same house yet we barely talk. We have a great time together and then you're right back with him. I'm tired of sharing you."

"Stiles, I don't _belong_ to you or anyone else. We had a good time, but I'm...Matt…." Terri sighed, "I need to do this my way."

"Why? You're married—to me. You know that and yet you're still going out with some other guy. I don't get it! I never thought you would do something like that, not after what you went through with your ex. I stood in front of all of those people and said I would stay with you for better or for worse. Well right now is definitely worse and I don't know how much more I can take." Stiles' last comments were more to himself, but Terri heard him.

"I don't know what to say."

"Say you'll stop seeing him. Tell me you want to be married to me." He opened his mouth to say, "Tell me you still love me." But he couldn't. He was already putting himself out there and he felt exposed. He just wanted his wife back and he was tired of feeling like she didn't want him.

"I can't do that"

"Can't or won't? What's so special about him anyway? Does he have something on you or what?"

Terri was getting angry. "I can't believe you asked that! I like him. We have a good time together, that's it! I don't want to talk about this anymore." She knew she was being mean, but at that particular moment, she didn't care. She had a headache; her head hurt every time someone close to her talked about Matt. She was tired of defending her decision to see him.

"What is it about him that you like so much? He's an arrogant, self-righteous jerk..."

"Funny, he says the same thing about you."

Stiles closed his eyes and counted to ten to calm himself. "He flaunts your relationship every chance he gets and you're not much better!" Stiles nearly whispered his next statement. "And yet you hate me."

Terri sat up a little and peaked out at him. He was sitting on the toilet lid, staring at the floor, but she knew from his question that what she'd said hit a nerve. Terri thought about what Annie said to her earlier; she knew he was upset and he had every right to be. She took a deep breath and answered him calmly. "I don't hate you Stiles. I just,"

She sighed and paused a few seconds, choosing her words carefully, "I just feel more comfortable with Matt sometimes. He doesn't expect anything from me; we just hang out together. I know I'm grumpy and mean sometimes and it's not you. I mean at first it was because I couldn't see us together at all. Now, it's just weird—you look at me with this hope in your eyes. It's like you're expecting me to remember the past three years if you look at me hard enough or if you tell me you love me. I'm sorry; I don't know how to explain it."

Stiles was on the verge of tears. "I just want my wife back. I miss her." was all he could say without crying. As soon as he said it, he got up and walked back to his room.

Terri sat in the tub a few minutes longer thinking about their conversation. She didn't really know why she was still clinging to Matt, but something about just being with Stiles scared her. He was right; they did have a good time at the wedding. Why couldn't she let herself fall for him?

Terri decided to go say goodnight to him, but changed her mind when she got to his room. She heard him sniffing as she approached the door and knew he was crying. She was going to have to come up with something to make things right with him.

Top of Form

Bottom of Form


	20. Friends or Enemies?

**Disclaimer: **Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.

**Part 20: Friends and Enemies**

The following morning Terri walked into Joshua's office as soon as she was settled. He and Lex were discussing something that Terri could tell wasn't work related so she had no qualms about interrupting.

"Hey, Terri."

"Joshua, Lex."

"What's that?" Lex took the book from her hands and smiled as he handed it to Joshua. "I see you've found one of Mr. Stiles' gifts." Lex tried to suppress a giggle as he remembered when Stiles bought the gift in question.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you remembered. What are you doing with that?"

"I uh, I found it on a shelf and I was hoping Lex could help me with something."

"At your service."

"I remember this book, or at least one like it; I saw it in a rare bookstore in Nice. It was when we went after Polvon. Anyway, Stiles and I stopped there on the way to the barn after they let us out of prison." Terri wasn't sure where she was going with this or even why she brought it up; she obviously bought the book later.

"Stiles bought it for you."

"Stiles?"

"He gave it to you on your first post-divorce wedding anniversary."

"My what?"

"Your first wedding anniversary after your divorce from Jeff. He left the book on your desk wrapped in…" Joshua looked over at Lex, "What was it, red paper?"

Lex smirked, "Yes, I believe it was."

"That was weird. Why would he give me a gift on my anniversary to Jeff? What, did he think that would be funny?"

"No, I thought you might be a little sad that day."

"Ah, Mr. Stiles, how can I help you?"

"You are looking at Mr. David O'Connor, Irish-American activist and possible arms dealer. I need an I.D. I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon."

Joshua smiled. They were going to have to work together. "Ms. Low." Immediately, Stiles clenched his jaw; hearing his wife called "Ms. Lowell" was just one more thing for him to be irritated about. Joshua caught the look. "Terri, will you take care of Mr. Stiles please?"

She didn't say anything, just walked with him to her desk to get the information she'd need to create his new identity.

"I got the date from your personal file. I had access to it before Nice, remember?"

Terri nodded, trying to concentrate on her work.

"I went back for the book later."

Terri looked up at him skeptically, as though he, Lex and Joshua had concocted this story together. "When did you have time? We were working constantly after they let us leave the prison."

"The morning after…" he hesitated; he didn't want a repeat of the reaction she gave him when she saw the tape.

"After what?"

"After we…" he leaned down so only she could hear him, "made love on the boat."

The look on Terri's face went from one of mild annoyance to one of disgust. She spun around and without a word, grabbed something from her bag and went back to Joshua's office. There was one more thing she needed to discuss with the boys in the office.

She held up the DVD and waved it at Lex. "Are you responsible for this? I know you monitored the footage from the boat that day."

"And what would THAT be?"

"I thought you were my friend! I can't believe Stiles talked you into this. How did you do it?"

Now Lex was confused. "Terri, Stiles didn't talk me into anything, and I'm still not sure what you're waving there."

Terri handed him the empty DVD case. She wasn't about to have the actual DVD floating around the office. "Look familiar?"

"Oh that." Lex said sheepishly. "I thought it would be funny, I just added a little music, a little narration…"

"Well it wasn't so funny when Matt, Chance and Bailey sat down to watch thinking it was a wedding!"

Joshua squinted, contorting his face. "Ohh, Mr. Callan saw that?"

Stiles stood back watching all the commotion; he was increasingly curious. When he saw what was in Lex's hand, however, he couldn't stand it; he wanted to know what was going on.

He opened the door just in time to hear Terri say 'it wasn't so funny.'

"No it wasn't. I thought it was our wedding; definitely not something to share with guests."

"And you," Terri pointed at him, "You're just as bad."

"Terri, Stiles wasn't involved. It was a meant as a surprise for both of you. It was a wedding present."

Stiles looked relieved. Terri looked shocked as reality hit her: it wasn't fake.

"You mean it's real? That really happened?"

Joshua, Lex, and Stiles answered simultaneously, each with a big grin on his face, "Yep. I couldn't have faked that."

Terri pushed her way out of the room and sat down. After a good laugh with Lex and Joshua, Stiles joined her.

"I'm sorry." Terri acknowledged without looking away from her screen.

"You're forgiven." Terri looked up. She couldn't resist smiling at him when he looked at her like that. Terri felt the butterflies taking over her stomach again, just as they had at Bailey's wedding.

Stiles noticed the change in her expression and took a chance. "Come on," he said as he gently took Terri's hand. "We can work on this later; let me buy you a cup of coffee or a doughnut or something."

Terri briefly considered turning him down. Her head said she needed to work, but her heart took over. "Okay, but I'll treat." She looked up at him sheepishly, "I think it's the least I can do for how I treated you this weekend."

When they got to the cafeteria most of the "gang" was already there; Bailey and Chance were sitting alone grinning at each other as though they were still on their honeymoon. Jackson came in right behind Terri and Stiles. Lex and Joshua weren't far behind.

As Terri entered the room, Stiles put his hand on the small of her back. He felt her tense, but she didn't move away from his touch. Before they could get the right amount of cream in their coffee Matt waltzed in and made a bee line for them.

"Hey Terri!" Matt greeted her with a smile. Matt still hadn't recovered from Stiles' threat; it drove him crazy that he felt intimidated by this man. He grudgingly acknowledged the man that he felt stood between him and his future: "Stiles"

"Terri, I need to see you in my office about 12:30; can you make that?"

Terri gave Matt the smile Stiles had grown to love. "Sure."

Matt walked off as Stiles grunted after him. "I'm sorry Stiles, if I'm going to make that meeting, I'm going to have to go back to work; rain check?"

Stiles faked a smile, "Of course." He was angry with Matt for interrupting his precious time with Terri. He doubted Matt really needed to see her so soon; he was just messing with Stiles. Then Stiles focused on what Terri said, "rain check." She was willing to see him again. That had to be a good sign!

Jackson watched as Terri hurried out of the room. He'd been quiet long enough. "Mind if I join you?"

Stiles, sullen over Terri's departure, waved his hand at the empty seat. "Sure, doesn't appear that anyone is using that chair."

"Stiles, look if you want to save your marriage, you need to do something."

"You think I don't know that?" Stiles realized he needed to lower his voice when several people turned to look at them. "Haisley, she's falling for him, I can see it. Maybe he's right; maybe she would have married him if Quinn hadn't kept him away so long." Stiles sighed as he looked down at his hands.

"I watched you two from the beginning—literally." Jackson surprised himself with that admission. Stiles didn't find it amusing under the circumstances. "I know what the two of you went through together—remind her of that. Make her see how much your relationship means to her. Don't give up because of a few setbacks."

"Jackson, it's been seven months since the accident and most of what she remembers about us doesn't put me in her favor. She's sleeping with him and she can't stand me. I can't compete with that. Sometimes I don't even know if I want to."

"She married you for a reason. She came home Stiles. She loves you, remember that."

"That's what everyone keeps telling me."

"That's because it's true."

Stiles got up to leave. "Yeah well, someone should remind her of that. We live in the same house yet we see each other more here than at home."

Jackson stopped him as he passed the table. "For the record, I don't think they're sleeping together. As much as she went through with her first marriage, Terri wouldn't do that to you, no matter how unfavorable the things she remembers about you."

Stiles wanted to believe that, but he wanted to hear it from her. With a nod of acknowledgement to Jackson, Stiles went back to work.


	21. 21a: Meetings

**Title: **The More Things Change

**Author: **Michelle

**Rating: **PG-13

**Disclaimer: **Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.

**Part 21a: Meetings**

"Come in."

"Hey, you wanted to see me. What's going on?"

"Uh, nothing. I just wanted to see you."

Terri couldn't help but smile. "Oh?"

"How are you? We haven't seen much of each other lately. This was the only way I could get you all alone.

Terri was smiling; she was flattered that Matt wanted to see her, but she was disappointed that she missed lunch with Stiles.

"You just saw me Friday—for several hours, I might add. I do have work to do."

"Oh come on, how often am I free during the day? It feels like we haven't talked for ages. Sit down, relax for a few minutes."

Reluctantly, Terri sat down. Within a few minutes she was laughing with Matt. She really enjoyed his company.

* * *

"Carl I just got back and you want me to go to some conference?" 

"It's not some conference; it's a security briefing and FBI intelligence meeting."

"What about you or Chance? He's the deputy director, he should go. Why me?"

"Chance is in the middle of something and I've got a lot going on here with the Senate briefings."

"Well, I've got terrorists popping up every five minutes, not to mention a scandal in Iraq."

"Unfortunately, the terrorists aren't going anywhere and neither is the mess in Iraq."

"I know and you know I'll go, but wait a minute, this can't have just come up. What's really going on?"

Carl sighed. He knew he wasn't selling it well enough. "Look, it's NovaSec; their contract is coming up and we need to talk to everyone about how things are going, our concerns, agent risks, that sort of thing. It's right up your alley..."

"You mean you don't want to go?"

"Something like that." Carl suppressed a smile.

Matt sighed; he was going to be stuck with a bunch of "suits" for three days talking about something best settled by the Pentagon.

"Looks like I don't have much choice. Things are going to be hectic around here the next few days. Chance will have to cover for me."

Matt rubbed his chin, deep in thought. He spoke suddenly as though an idea had just come to him.

"What about Stiles?"

"What about him?"

"Why don't we send him? He's not working on anything major right now and he knows what's going on. You or Chance can brief him on the details and I can stay here." _And hang out with Terri_.

"We do need you here if at all possible."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, he's perfect. I'll have Mrs. Anaya set it up."

Matt was quite pleased with himself. _That was too easy. _He patted Carl on the back. "Thanks a lot."

"No problem; glad I could solve this for you." Matt walked out and closed the door. When he did, he laughed to himself. _'I'm glad I could solve this for me. I don't have to go, and I get Stiles out of the way for a few days.'_

"Stiles,"

Matt greeted Stiles as he entered his office."

"What?"

"You have a meeting in Chicago—Homeland security thing, FBI, security. You leave Tuesday."

"How long?"

"A few days."

"Why aren't you going?"

"I'm busy."

"Great. What's it about?"

"Chance has the details, he'll brief you."

The conversation lasted less than two minutes, but the tension was at a fever pitch. Matt was glad Chance was doing the briefing; he didn't want to spend any more time with Stiles right now than absolutely necessary.

Stiles practically ran to his office only to find Chance waiting for him.

"Chance, is this trip absolutely necessary? Things are, my personal life is a mess. If I leave her now…Chance, Matt isn't backing down and it's getting close to a year. If I don't do something soon she's going to divorce me."

"Stiles, it's three days. I need you there."

"Why aren't you going? Why isn't he going? He's the Liaison to Homeland Security for crying out loud!" Chance shut the door as Stiles raised his voice.

"Stiles, Matt's working on something in Iraq, I just got back in town, neither of us can leave right now; there's so much going on."

"You mean you don't want to leave your wife; the sister of the jerk that's trying to steal _my_ wife! What, are the two of you working together to get me out of the way? I thought you had more class than that Chance!"

"You're out of line Stiles!"

Stiles put his index finger in Chances' chest and puncuated each word with a stab. "No, Chance you're out of line!" Chance and Stiles were practically toe-to-toe. This was as close at the two longtime friends had been to coming to blows.

Even with the door was closed, everyone who walked by could hear them. It wasn't long before the one person who wasn't afraid to interfere walked by.

Bailey threw open the door, let herself in before and closed it behind her. "What is going on in here? I could hear the two of you down the hall?"

Stiles backed up at the sound of the door closing. As soon as Chance breathed a sigh of relief when he saw who it was. "Bailey, we're having a private meeting here."

"Christopher David Chancellor, don't 'private meeting' me! Tell me what the two of you are screaming at each other about—now!"

"Bailey, this doesn't concern you. Let it go, please."

She knew how stubborn he was and didn't feel like arguing with him so she turned to Stiles. "Stiles?"

"Your husband and your brother have worked out a deal to get me out of town—again--so Matt can have more time alone with Terri."

Bailey glared at her husband. "Chance, please tell me that isn't true."

"Of course it isn't! He's gotten paranoid lately. I think the lack of sex is affecting his brain."

Bailey had to step between them to keep Stiles fist from connecting with Chance's face.

"Chance that was uncalled for! What is the matter with you?"

"I'm sorry." Chance mumbled under his breath.

"What's really going on?"

"I asked him to go to a conference for three days and he doesn't want to go."

"Why, and what does it have to do with Matt?" Bailey figured it out before Stiles could respond. "You're worried about leaving her so long this close to the time she said she'd leave, aren't you? You're worried something will happen if you're not here."

Stiles nodded and sat down behind his desk. "Will you two excuse me please? Chance just have Jodi leave the information for me. I'll be in Chicago Tuesday like you asked."

Chance opened his mouth to say something. Bailey could tell by his expression that it wasn't going to be nice so she put her hand over his mouth, "Honey, meet me in your office in 5?"

Chance frowned a little, but he nodded and walked out; he knew she wanted a few minutes alone with Stiles.

"It'll be okay."

"I'm glad you're so optimistic. It's getting close to her deadline. I don't have much time. I'm doing what I can, but with Matt hanging around I don't know if it's going to be enough. He's sending me out of town every chance he gets. I got her to have lunch with me today then Matt's shows up and tells her he needs to see her for a meeting. About what?"

"Talk to her. She's in the house."

"Yeah, and lately, I'm not. This isa trip Matt should be taking. He'll do anything to keep me away from Terri. It's like as soon as he found out she was moving in with me he invented missions for me. Yesterday he hands me this mile-long list of stuff that's coming up." Stiles sighed as he thought about Matt taking Terri away from him.

"Look, I know you're trying to help, but I've got work to do."

Bailey looked at him and sighed. She was worried about her friends. She patted him on the shoulder and turned to walk out. "Bailey."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

She smiled before leaving. "You're welcome."


	22. 21b: Bailey CallanChancellor

**Title: **The More Things Change

**Author: **Michelle

**Rating: **PG-13

**Disclaimer: **Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.

**Part 21b: Bailey Callan-Chancellor, Amateur Psychologist**

As soon as she closed the door to his office, Chance jumped up. "What was that?"

"Chance, the man is in pain. He has a short period of time to convince Terri she loves him or she's leaving. He just started making progress with her and Matt's being a complete jerk, showing up at their house every chance he gets; that's why he doesn't want to leave."

Chance ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "We haven't talked much lately. I didn't know it was that bad, but I do need him to go." Chance sat back down and sighed as he ran his hands over his face. "Bay, what am I doing? I just got back after ten days, I have a mound of paperwork on my desk, there's a new terrorist threat every five minutes, I'm still unpacking, and now my wife and my best friend are mad at me."

Bailey hadn't seen Chance looking so pitiful. "Honey, I know you're under a lot of stress, but they're getting you help soon. I'm not mad at you, but you do need to apologize to Stiles."

Chance walked around his desk to his wife, put his arms around her and held onto her tightly. "I love you. I don't deserve you. How did I get so lucky?"

"Umm, you're right, you don't deserve me and you are lucky." Bailey said as she kissed him. "Now, get back to work; I hear the boss is a real task master!"

She wasn't finished with him yet, but she had a bigger fish to fry at that moment.

* * *

"Can I come in?" 

"Sure, what's up?"

Bailey let herself in and closed the door. She didn't want anyone to hear this conversation. "So, you had a meeting with Terri?"

Matt looked at her, he didn't like the expression on her face.

"Yeah, so?"

"What about?"

"Why?"

"Matt, let her go."

"Bailey, we're not having this discussion again. She's a grown up, she can see whomever she wants."

"Listen to me. She is married to one of my best friends and she gave him until their first anniversary to work on the marriage. She can't do that with you interfering every chance you get."

"Bay, stay out of it."

"I will not. She's my best friend and you're my only brother; I love all three of you and I will not stand by and watch you destroy three lives."

"I'm not destroying anything; you're being a little dramatic, don't you think?"

Bailey grabbed Matt by his tie and pulled him to her. With Bailey in heels, they were eye-to-eye. "This is not a game. I know how you feel about Stiles and if you're determined to hurt him, find another way. As much as you don't like hearing it, Stiles did not take Terri from you, you just blew it. You didn't ask her out when you had the chance and she fell for Stiles while your were gone. You should have given up when she didn't dump him for you when you came back from the dead. When are you going to get it through your thick skull? She loves him Matt. If you don't stop this little "game" of yours now, Stiles won't have to deck you, I'll do it myself! Have I made myself clear?"

Matt snatched his tie from Bailey's hand and stepped back. His face was red from the lack of oxygen and his fists were clenched. He was not pleased with the current state of affairs; she was right, he didn't want to hear that he blew it.

"Bailey, I'm not afraid of you."

"Well maybe you should be; I hear she throws a mean left hook."

Matt gave a deep sigh of relief as Carl walked in; she wouldn't hit him in front of a witness.

"Carl"

"Bailey." She shot her brother a warning glare then smiled at Carl. On her way out of the office she looked over her shoulder at Matt, "I'm not through with you; we'll take this up later," and walked out.

When Bailey left, Matt sat down and sighed again.

"What was that about? She looked pretty mad; I haven't seen that temper of hers for a while."

"Believe me, you don't want to know."


	23. Bad Timing

**Title: **The More Things Change

**Author: **Michelle

**Rating: **PG-13

**Disclaimer: **Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.

**Part 22: Bad Timing**

Terri left work on time for a change. She went to the grocery store on her way home and picked up the ingredients for dinner; she hadn't cooked in a long time.

Stiles could smell dinner as soon as he opened the door. He knew immediately what it was: Chicken Parmesan; it was one of Terri's specialties and he loved it. Just what he needed after the day he'd had.

He went straight to the kitchen hoping she was alone. "Wow that smells good."

Terri was standing at the counter adding her homemade cheese "concoction" as Stiles called it. She was wearing the apron her mother gave her as a wedding present and it had a light coating of "fixin's" down the front. Stiles stopped dead in his tracks; he thought she looked beautiful standing there slightly messy with her hair in a ponytail. This was the way he imagined their life would be like after they were married, cooking together, messing up the kitchen.

Terri looked up and smiled when she saw him; he was more handsome than she remembered. How could she not have noticed?

"Hi, you hungry?"

"Starving." Stiles then held up the Subway bag he had in his hand and smiled. "I stopped on the way home, but I could be persuaded to save this for tomorrow's lunch."

"Good, because there's too much for me to eat alone. I'm surprised you're speaking to me." Terri looked at Stiles expectantly, "I took a chance that you'd like Chicken Parmesan."

Stiles was crestfallen; he thought she'd remembered that it was his favorite, but he couldn't stay down for long. When he looked at the worried expression on her face he couldn't help but reassure her. "It's my favorite. You always made it for me as a peace offering."

"Really? I don't know what made me decide to fix this. I just walked in the store and it sort of popped in my head, but "I do feel bad about missing lunch today after I told you I'd treat. I hope this makes up for it."

"Honey, this more than makes up for it; I think you're remembering."

Terri dismissed his comment and changed the subject. "Good. Now, put your stuff away Mr. Stiles and join me in the dining room."

"I'll be right back."

Stiles couldn't wipe the grin off his face. He smiled from ear to ear all through dinner as he and Terri talked. For the first time since the accident she seemed genuinely comfortable with him. He couldn't wait to write in his journal!

After dinner, they cleaned the kitchen together. It was comfortable for both of them, like they did it all the time. Stiles was being so nice that Terri could start to see herself with him. It was her idea to watch the video.

"You sure? I don't want you to feel like you have to because…"

Terri put her hand on top of his. "Stiles, I want to see it; I think it's time."

"Okay." Stiles found the real video of their wedding and put it in the DVD player.

When the first image of Terri in her wedding dress came up Stiles couldn't help himself; he looked at Terri. "You were so beautiful that day." As soon as he said it he bristled waiting for her rebuff, but it didn't come.

She just smiled. "Thank you. I just wish I could remember it."

"Don't worry, you will."

Stiles didn't realize it, but Terri was very frustrated about the whole thing. She paused the video and turned to face him."Stiles, I don't think I will. It's been almost a year."

"Don't remind me."

"What?"

"Nothing"

"I think I've given up. It's not fair to you to keep you hanging. You should be able to live your life. I know I said we'd stay married at least a year and I meant it, but…"

"But nothing. I'll do anything I can to help you remember; if you'll let me."

Stiles got a genuine smile from her as well as a nod. Then he was the one smiling. They shifted closer so their shoulders were touching. By the time the minister was telling Stiles to kiss the bride, he was ready to do just that. He looked down at Terri and ran is hand down the side of her face, brushing his thumb across her bottom lip.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as he held his breath and waited for her reaction. When she didn't move, he leaned in and gently pressed his lips to hers. He'd longed to be close to her for so long that he didn't want to move for fear he would wake up. He silently begged her to part her lips. When she did, he was sure that his heart skipped a beat. Before he could act on her invitation, the phone rang.

Stiles' heart raced as he willed the ringing to stop. He felt Terri's arm move. "No!" his mind screamed as he felt her pull away and reach around him. He sat back in time to see the smile on her face when she heard the caller's voice.

"Oh, Hi Matt"

Terri moved got up and walked around the couch. 'F_igures he'd know just when to call. Look at her she's all smiles. Ugh! How does he do that?'_

"Oh nothing." She answered Matt's inquiry as to what she was doing.

_Nothing? Nothing?_ Stiles was livid. She had to have seen who it was; she never answered the phone without checking caller ID. _She's going to string me along until June then cut me loose for him!_

He'd held out hope that she wasn't sleeping with Matt, but now he was more convinced than ever that she was. He'd wanted to bring it up during dinner, but the conversation didn't go that way. He would have asked after dinner, but when she brought up watching their wedding, he couldn't bring himself to; things were going to well to bring up a topic that was sure to start an argument.

While Terri was talking to Matt, Stiles rewound the video to where he and Terri had their first kiss and pressed pause. It was late and he was going to bed rather than wait for her to finish talking to her "boyfriend", but he wanted to give Terri a little reminder of who she was married to and what she missed out on by answering the phone.

Stiles went to his room mumbling to himself _'she didn't even notice that I left.'_ He got out the journal Bailey had given him and began writing. His "Dear Terri" journal had become a "How I hate Matt" journal.

Terri was so engrossed in her conversation with Matt that she didn't realize that Stiles had left until she hung up. Shefelt bad when shesawthat he'd alreadyfallen asleep. She was disappointed the next morning when she discovered Stiles had already left for work. She wanted to tell him about her conversation with Matt.


	24. Hanging Out

**Title: **The More Things Change

**Author: **Michelle

**Rating: **PG-13

**Disclaimer: **Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.

**Part 23: Hanging Out**

"Morning Stiles." Jackson greeted Stiles as the men passed in the hallway.

Stiles barely acknowledged his friend. He gave him a halfhearted "hi" as he walked by, head down, with his hands in his pockets. Lex on the other hand, got an earful.

"Everything was perfect and then the phone rang."

"You didn't answer, right?"

"Of course not, but she did. One guess who it was."

"Matt?"

"She didn't even notice when I left. I can't believe that guy! I'm done Lex. It's over."

"Stiles, I don't think…"

Before Lex could finish Carl walked in the cafeteria.

"Stiles, I need to see you in my office; something's come up."

Carl gave Stiles a special assignment that kept him out of the building. Under the circumstances, Stiles was happy for the break. He wasn't happy that he didn't get to see Terri. She was asleep when he got home that evening and they didn't have time for more than "hi" and "bye" before she left for her cousin's weekend bridal shower in las Vegas.

By Monday morning, he'd calmed down enough to have a civilized conversation with her about Matt's ill-timed phone call. He was on his way to OTS to talk say "good morning" to Terri when Chance caught up with him.

"I was on my way to look for you."

"I'm going to OTS."

"I need to see you in my office for a few minutes first."

Stiles took a deep breath. He wanted to ask Chance if he and Matt were spying on him so they could keep him out of OTS and away from Terri, but he caught himself and just nodded okay. The two colleagues walked to the elevator in silence. Stiles wasn't interested in having a personal conversation with Chance after their last chat. Chance didn't want to say anything about anything until they were alone. As soon as they entered his office, Chance started talking.

"Look Stiles, about the other day."

"Forget it Chance. It's not worth discussing."

"Yes it is. I wasn't thinking. I have a lot going on right now and I took it out on you. I know things have been rough for you at home. You were right, I was out of line and I apologize."

"I know it's been rough around here for you suits too." Stiles smiled and Chance felt a wave of relief.

Chance smiled, crises over. "Oh, Jodi put everything for tomorrow on your desk.Thanks again for agreeing to go. I'll keep my eye on Matt while you're gone."

Stiles gave Chance a half smile at his attempt at an aplogy. "Okay, I gotta go."

"You wanna grab a beer after work?"

"Sure."

* * *

"Stiles!" 

Terri caught up with him just outside the conference room. He turned and as irritated as he was with her, he was glad to see her.

"What?"

"I'm sorry I missed talking to you when I got back last night. I thought I'd catch you this morning. What time did you leave?"

"Six. I had some to catch up on some work. I should go; the meeting's about to start."

"Oh, right. I just wanted to tell you why Matt called the other night.You were already asleep when I got off the phone and I was so busy running around getting ready for Vegas that I forgot to tell you.Did you know he and Bailey are having a surprise 40th anniversary party for their parents?"

"Yeah, Bailey mentioned something about it."

"Oh, well I designed the invitations."

"Uh, that's nice." Stiles didn't get why she was so excited to tell him this information, but he was glad to know there was actually a reason for Matt's call other than just to irritate him.

"Anyway, it's this Saturday and I thought you might like to go." Terri paused. She was a little apprehensive about what she was going to say, "with me. Bailey said you should come; her mom really likes you." She added the last part to calm her nerves; she felt butterflies in her stomach all of a sudden.

Stiles' smile lit up the hallway. "Mrs. Stiles are you asking me on a date?"

Terri blushed. Date wasn't exactly what she was thinking. She wasn't thinking period, she was just relaying a message—wasn't she?

"Um, I'm just passing along an invitation."

Stiles didn't care, he was happy he'd be spending an evening with her whether it was her idea or not.

"When is it again?"

"Saturday."

"I'm going leaving fore Chicago tomorrow,but I'll be home Friday. I'd love go."

"Great." Terri headed back to OTS and left Stiles standing in the hall. That did it; Stiles couldn't stop smiling the rest of the day.

The evening got even better. Stiles met Chance in his office to figure out where they would go for drinks.

He walked into the office and was surprised to see Bailey and Terri with Chance. "Oh, hey what's going on? I thought we were going out."

"We are, I invited the ladies to join us. I hope you don't mind."

The smile got bigger. "Of course not."

The four of them walked to the garage, Bailey and Chance together with Terri and Stiles behind them. Chance was quite pleased with himself when he looked at his friend and saw the goofy grin on his face.

The evening was just like old times. They went to a sports bar, played pool, and talked for a couple of hours. Terri actually laughed at many of the stories Bailey and Chance told about Stiles' and her courtship. At one point during the evening, Stiles gathered the courage to put his arm around her waist. Terri was beginning to feel the way she had when they first met--after he apologized for questioning her abilities —she thought she might like him, but she wasn't sure. She was sure she was having a good time. Then Chance and Bailey left them alone. The butterflies and the nerves came back.

"You're having a good time." He didn't ask her, he stated it as a fact.

"Yes I am."

"Don't sound so surprised. I really am a good guy."

She smiled at his serious tone. "I can see that. It's just that what I remember…"

"I know I was a jerk when we met." They both laughed at his comment. Stiles was encouraged by her candor and the look in her eyes. He was making progress. Before they could say any more Bailey and Chance came back.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we're gonna head home."

Terri looked at her watch. "Wow, I didn't realize how late it is." She and Bailey hugged and Stiles patted Chance on the shoulder.

"Thanks for tonight man. I think I made some progress."

Chance chuckled. "Hey, it's the least I can do."

"You got that right." Stiles smiled and both of them were laughing as the women approached them.

"What's going on over here?"

Chance kissed his wife on the cheek. "Absolutely nothing dear, absolutely nothing."

"Yeah, right. Come on, we better get out of here."

Bailey and Chance left and Stiles walked Terri to her car.

"Thank you."

Terri looked at him puzzled. "For what?"

"For hanging out with me tonight; it means a lot."

"I had fun."

"I'm glad." His words hung in the air as the two looked into each other's eyes. The butterflies in Terri's stomach were on overdrive and Stiles had only one thing on his mind—the beautiful woman standing in front of him. He leaned down and finished what he'd started the night before. It was the best kiss he could remember. When they finally came up for air, Terri was red with embarrassment but smiling.

"I should go. It's getting late."

Stiles didn't want to leave her. He wanted to tell her to leave her car—or his, that they could get them the next morning, but he didn't. He didn't want to push her.

"Okay. I'm right behind you."

Terri beat Stiles home by a few minutes. She'd had a wonderful time, but she wasn't sure what she was feeling. She seriously considered waiting for him in his room, but changed her mind when she heard his key in the door. She wasn't really ready and he wasn't going anywhere, but there was something she knew she needed to do.


	25. Turning Point?

**Title: **The More Things Change

**Author: **Michelle

**Rating: **PG-13

**Disclaimer: **Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.

**Part 24: Turning Point?**

Terri tossed and turned for what seemed like hours. She couldn't stop thinking about the evening she'd had with Stiles. She felt something, but she wasn't sure what it was. Was it just because she hadn't been out in a while, or was it him? Every time she decided it must be him her mind wandered to Matt; she really liked him too and they always had a good time together. When she couldn't take it anymore she got up. On her way to the kitchen for a glass of water, she noticed the TV was on in the living room and went to investigate.

"Hey. You couldn't sleep either?"

Stiles jumped when he heard her voice and tried to hide what he was working on. "Nope just watching a little TV; I sleep on the couch sometimes."

"Oh" Terri stepped in front of the couch and saw something partially hidden beneath one of the cushions. She nodded toward the pillow, "What are you doing?"

Stiles couldn't tell her what that he was writing about their evening in his journal, that he'd had a great time. that he was still just as in love with her as he had been the day he married her and that his stomach had done flips all night any time she was within two feet of him.

"Nothing really--it's a top secret project for Bailey. Can't tell anyone about it."

"Hmmm" Terri leaned over and tried to grab the book from its hiding pace, but Stiles was too quick for her. He caught her hand before she could reach it. "Tsk, Tsk, Tsk" then laughed.

Terri feigned a pout, "You can't even tell your wife?"

Stiles loved her playful side. "I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you." _Did she just refer to herself as my wife?_ Stiles wished he could rewind their conversation and hear her say it again.

Terri laughed as she walked to the video cabinet.

From somewhere deep inside, Stiles got bold. After the evening they had and the comment Terri just made, he felt like it was as good a time as any to ask the question that had been eating at him. "Terri?"

"Yeah," she answered as she looked through their video collection.

"Are you sleeping with him? I just wanted, no I need to know if I should…if you..." He was inwardly kicking himself; he sounded like an idiot rambling on.

She had often wondered if he cared--if he would ask. She was surprised it took him so long. Without looking up, she answered him simply, "No. Whether I remember or not, I know that I promised to be faithful to you and as long as we're married, I will be."

If she had looked up, Terri would have seen the relief on Stiles' face.

Moments later, Terri found out one of her favorite movies. "You have Breakfast at Tiffany's? Why Mr. Stiles you have good taste."

"I do have good taste—in wives, but _I_ do not own Breakfast at Tiffany's. _You _do. That's your movie."

Terri was a little embarrassed; one more thing she didn't remember. "Wanna watch with me, or do you need to finish your "top secret" project?"

Stiles agreed to watch the movie if Terri promised to help him eat the popcorn. Stiles left to fix the popcorn while Terri put in the movie. He remembered his journal just after her entered the kitchen. He made it to the couch just as Terri was reaching for it. She tried to act innocent but Stiles knew what she was doing. He winked at her. "_Top secret_," he added before scooping up the precious item.

As they watched the movie, Terri relaxed. Before she realized it she had her head on Stiles' shoulder. The next thing she knew she was waking up in her bed. It was morning and the last thing Terri remembered was Audrey Hepburn chasing her cat in the rain. She smiled when she realized that Stiles must have carried her upstairs and put her in bed; she was beginning to understand how she'd fallen in love with him.

Stiles woke up with a smile on his face and his journal still on his chest. He'd fallen asleep writing; it was great to have something positive to say for a change. He had wanted so badly to hold her and to tell her he loved her, but he didn't say anything—he knew she wasn't ready.

In the end, he'd had a great time just hanging out with his wife and as far as he could tell she had had as much fun as he had. He hopped out of bed planning to have breakfast, or at least coffee with Terri. He was disappointed to find she had already left. He perked up again when he saw her note."Thanks for carrying me upstairs! I had a good time last night. Terri." Stiles couldn't remember a better evening.

Stiles hurried to work hoping to see Terri before his meeting with Matt. He ran into Jackson on his way to OTS. Jackson stopped Stiles when he heard him whistling.

"What are you so happy about this morning?"

"I had a great evening—drinks with friends and a date."

Jackson frowned when Stiles mentioned the word date. Stiles noticed and finished his sentence. "With my wife."

"A date? With Terri?"

Stiles didn't care that he was grinning from ear to ear, he was happy. "Yeah. Chance asked me to meet him for drinks; when I showed up he was there with Bailey and Terri. We just hung out for a while. It was great—almost like old times."

Jackson patted him on the back. "Good; it's about time you two spent some quality time together."

As soon as Stiles finished talking with Jackson, he made his way to OTS. Matt had beaten him there. Stiles walked in and saw Matt and Terri talking so he watched for a minute. After the evening they had, he couldn't believe she was down here flirting with the other guy! When Terri got up, Matt turned and saw Stiles. He made a beeline for him.

"Morning Stiles. What brings you to OTS this morning?"

Stiles clenched his jaw and tried to hold his temper. "I came to see my wife, if that's okay with you."

"Actually, I need her right now. Our meeting has been bumped to 10. Peter Eschol is joining us and he got hung up at the embassy." Matt turned his back to Stiles and joined Terri and Joshua in Joshua's office. Stiles was left standing in the middle of OTS staring at Terri's empty workstation.

"Fight for her Stiles. He doesn't deserve her."

Stiles turned around to see Lex standing behind him.

"What?"

"Come on Stiles, I know what's going on; she's seeing him. She has been ever since he came back. She's your wife, even if she doesn't remember it; fight for her."

"Don't you think I know that Lex! What do you think I'm doing? Every time we get close _he _shows up. We take one step forward and two back. Terri and I had a great time last night; I come down here to say good morning to her and he's beat me to it. What do I have to do?" Lex knew better than to say anything; Stiles was famous for throwing rhetorical questions in the middle of his rants.

"She asked me to go to some party he and Bailey are having for their parents. I said I would, but why bother? He'll probably be hanging around her all night."

"Stiles, maybe you're the one who needs help with women. It doesn't matter if he's hanging around. She's still married to you. She could have gone out with him when he first came back but she didn't; she stayed with you. That's got to mean something."

"Yeah. I know you're trying to help, but I think it's hopeless." Stiles hung his head and walked out; maybe he needed to start getting used to the idea that he was going to lose her.

Stiles sat through the meeting with Matt and Peter thankful that Peter was there. with the animosity he felt toward Matt, there was a good chance he would have hit him in the middle of the meeting.

Stiles didn't see Terri the rest of the day; one or the other of them was tied up in meetings. By the time he got home, she was already asleep.

Stiles was surprised when she saw Terri up at 6:30 the next morning.

"Morning. You going to work this early?"

"No, I heard your trip was moved back a day so I'm taking you to the airport, but if you'd rather drive yourself…"

"No!" Stiles wanted to smack himself for getting so excited. "No, that's fine. I'm ready whenever you are."

Terri turned on the radio as soon as they got in the car. She was happy see him, but she found herself at a loss for words. Stiles wasn't much better. The only thing he could think of to talk about was work and the weather. They were acting like a couple of nervous teenagers. Neither knew what to say after their last conversation.

Terri stopped in front of the United drop off. Stiles sat there for a minute trying to think of something to say. He finally gave up and just gave Terri a quick kiss on the cheek and hopped out of the car. Terri smiled this time when the butterflies appeared. H_e's too cute _she thought as she drove away. Stiles, on the other hand, spent his entire flight second-guessing the kiss.


	26. Happy Anniversary!

**Title: **The More Things Change

**Author: **Michelle

**Rating: **PG-13

**Disclaimer: **Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.

**Part 25: Happy Anniversary!**

Matt was waiting for Terri when she got to work. "Good morning beautiful. You up for lunch today?"

"Lunch?" Terri asked, distractedly.

"You know that meal between breakfast and dinner."

"Yeah, I don't know Matt; I have a lot to do today. Check with me later?"

Matt looked around to see if anyone was looking their way. When he saw that no one was, he kissed Terri's cheek. "Absolutely. Either way, I want to see you for dinner tonight it's been too long. Around 7?"

Terri laughed. "I thought you were busy; isn't that why Stiles is in Chicago right now?" Matt grimaced at the mention of Stiles' name. "How is it you have time for lunch and dinner?"

"Umm, I have my ways. Besides, I was here practically all night last night. And, you're right, I probably don't have time for lunch, but we've both been working very hard on this Iraq thing and leaving before dark one night this week isn't too much to ask. Is it?"

Terri thought it over and agreed.

As it turned out, Matt wasn't free in time for dinner that evening, but he promised Terri a home-cooked meal the next evening to make it up to her.

"Welcome to Chez Callan. Prepare for the best home-cooked Italian meal you've ever had."

"Really?"

"Okay, maybe not. I forgot you used to live with Bailey and she's a pretty good cook. But I promise you'll love it or your money back."

Terri laughed at his lame joke and Matt was sure things would go well. If it were up to him, Ms. Lowell would be spending the night.

Terri and Matt laughed through dinner. Terri couldn't help comparing this evening with the one she had two nights prior and comparing Matt with Stiles. She liked both of them and her confusion was growing. After dinner, Matt suggested they go into the living room. He dimmed the lights and turned on Terri's favorite Jazz CD.

As they sat on the couch talking, Matt inched closer and closer to Terri until he was close enough to put his arm around her. Terri rested her head on his shoulder as she listened to the music.

Matt leaned down and planted a kiss on her cheek as he raised her head so their lips would meet. Terri closed her eyes as Matt kissed her, briefly, she thought about the kiss she shared with Stiles, but it was soon forgotten. She relaxed in Matt's arms much to his delight. As their kiss turned more passionate, Matt slid one arm around Terri's back and the other under her legs, picking her up, continuing the kiss. He wanted the first time they made love to be special and he set up the bedroom for just that.

When she could no longer breathe, Terri pulled back and opened her eyes. "Matt, what are you doing?"

"Taking you upstairs."

"No, put me down please."

Matt didn't put her down, instead, he kept walking. "Matt! Put Me Down! I need to go home."

Matt gently set her down. "Stay. I thought things were going well."

Terri gave him a weak smile. "They were, but I have an early morning. I should go." Before Matt could protest further, she kissed his cheek, grabbed her purse and walked to the door. "Good night Matt. Thank you dinner; it was wonderful. I'll see tomorrow?"

Matt just looked at her in disbelief. What just happened? "Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow." Just like that, she was gone.

Terri drove less than a block—just out of sight of Matt's apartment—before she stopped. She pulled over and stared straight ahead. _What just happened?_ _You were kissing your boyfriend, that's what happened. Boyfriend? Terri, you have a boyfriend and a husband. What's wrong with that scenario? _Suddenly, Terri had the urge to talk to Stiles. She found his name in her phone and pushed send. After the third ring, she hung up. What was she going to say to him? I just called to tell you I was "this close" to sleeping with your boss. Well, he was trying to carry me up to his bedroom and I said no, but still…"

Terri had about ten different conversations with herself while she sat in the car. She had no idea what she was doing.

* * *

Stiles got in from Chicago late Friday evening. Terri had gone to bed by the time he got home, but she left a note reminding him about Liz and Carson Callan's anniversary party. 

"Good morning!"

Terri walked in Stiles' room, opened the blinds, and leaned over him. He wasn't interested in whatever it was that was interrupting his dream. It was one of his favorites; he and Terri were in Ireland on their honeymoon. The irritating voice that was in his ear woke him just as they were about to make love.

Stiles squeezed his eyes tight and put a pillow over his head; it was Saturday and he didn't want to move. "Come on, get up! It's beautiful outside." Terri. Terri! She was here, in his room and she was calling him.

Slowly, Stiles lowered the pillow and turned over. "Terri?"

"Good morning sunshine. I'm going jogging. Wanna come?" She had three days to think about everything that happened with Stiles. She thought about their talk at Bailey and Chance's wedding, their night watching a movie and eating popcorn on the couch, the sweet kiss they shared at the airport, and the passionate one they shared after their night out. Something about him touched her. She decided to make more of an effort to spend time with him. For the first time she felt guilty about seeing Matt.

"What time is it?

"Almost 6:00"

"Ugh. I was going to sleep in this morning; maybe all day."

Terri sat down on the edge of the bed next to Stiles. "Okay, but I thought we could go to IHOP for breakfast afterward."

"I love IHOP"

"I know" she smiled. Stiles didn't say anything for a couple of minutes as he tried to process what she'd said. Did she say that she knew he loved IHOP, or was he still dreaming?

"Terri, how did you know that?"

"Know what?"

"That I love IHOP?"

"You told me. You must have dragged me there 500 times."

Stiles leaned up and kissed Terri on the lips. "I love you." He couldn't resist; she was remembering and she didn't even realize it. He smiled at the astonished look on her face. "You're remembering."

Terri wasn't quite sure how to react. It was both comforting and scary hearing him say, "I love you." It wasn't the first time he'd kissed her but somehow, having him do it there, in his bedroom while he was still half in bed unnerved her a bit. She could feel herself getting flushed; she didn't want him to see her turn bright red so she turned around and headed to the door. "Meet me downstairs in 10." That was it; she didn't look back or say another word, but Stiles wasn't worried; he had her and he knew it.

The rest of the morning was uneventful. After breakfast, Bailey picked up Terri to do some last minute shopping for the party. Stiles took care of some work at home and agreed to meet her that evening at 7:00.


	27. True Colors

**Title: **The More Things Change

**Author: **Michelle

**Rating: **PG-13

**Disclaimer: **Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.

Matt was the first one to see him. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you in Chicago?"

"Nice to see you too Callan. Don't worry, I'm going back. Your sister and my wife invited me to the party. Speaking of, where is Mrs. Stiles?" This time it was Stiles who had the smug look on his face.

Matt groaned inwardly; he didn't need to be reminded that she was "Mrs. Stiles," but he wasn't about to let Stiles see him sweat. "Terri is helping Bailey." Before Matt could come up with an excuse to keep Stiles from looking for them, the two friends appeared.

"Hey handsome" Bailey greeted Stiles with a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, does your husband know you're hitting on his best friend?" Matt asked her. Stiles saw the smile on Matt's face and knew there was a jab in there somewhere even if he couldn't put his finger on it.

"So what else is new?" Chance laughed as he came up behind Bailey.

"Hi, I'm glad you made it." Terri walked over and kissed Stiles' cheek. She didn't know what possessed her to do it, but when she saw the smile on his face she was glad she did.

Matt watched the two of them and realized he may lose Terri again. It was bad enough that she lived with him. He planned to spend the rest of the evening reminding her why she had spent so much time with _him_ the past few months.

The surprise went off perfectly. Liz and Carson had no idea that their children had planned anything.

Matt found numerous excuses to monopolize Terri's time. Every chance he got, he asked for her help with something--from checking on the caterers to talking to the D.J. Stiles had had enough when Matt pulled her onto the dance floor when the family was invited out.Terri, and everyone else who cared to, noticed the look on his face. She had been on her way to talk toStiles when Matt redirected her. With everyone waiting on them to start dancing, she didn't have the heart to say no.

Chance made a point of paying more attention to what was going on with Matt after Bailey told him how bad things had gotten. He saw the pain and anger on Stiles' face while Matt and Terri were dancing. As soon as the song was over, he whispered in Bailey's ear. "I'll be right back."

While Chance was gone, Bailey went to talk to Terri. She too noticed Stiles' watching Matt and Terri dance. "He's jealous."

"Who?"

"Stiles"

"Really?" Terri cringed.

"You've been with Matt all evening."

"I have not!" Terri felt the sudden need to defend herself; she did feel a little guilty. She calmed down when she saw the look on Bailey's face.

"I'm sure he's okay. We've had fun together the last few days, but…"

"You're still sort of seeing Matt and it's weird being at a party with both of them."

"You should have been a psychologist! Ugh, what am I going to do Bay? I'm not trying to hurt Stiles, but Matt did ask me to help him today.

"Must be rough having too men in love with you." Bailey was being sarcastic, but Terri missed her tone, focusing on the words.

"Did Matt tell you he's in love with me?"

Bailey laughed, "No, he didn't; but I know he's in something."

Terri couldn't help but laugh; Bailey always knew how to break the tension. "Stiles finally got around to asking if Matt and I are sleeping together."

"What did you tell him?"

"The truth. You cannot imagine the look on his face when I said that we aren't."

Terri liked Matt, but she was falling for Stiles and both of them wanted her attention. She was a little overwhelmed by her feelings.

"Oh, I can imagine. Why didn't you tell him sooner?"

"I don't know. Maybe I just wanted to see how much he cared, if he would ask. It's been such a mess for months--ever since I moved in with him. Bailey, half the time I don't know what I'm doing, especially when it comes to Stiles."

"I know hon, it's been a long year for both of you."

"Yeah, it has. Bailey I can't talk about this anymore tonight, okay? I just want to celebrate with your mom and dad and try to forget the sorted mess that is my life."

"Okay." Bailey let it go, but she kept an eye on her brother.

After talking to a couple of the other guests, Terri bumped into Matt; or rather, he bumped into her as she was on her way to find Stiles. "Hey, I've been looking for you, I need your help."

"With what, everything seems to be going fine."

"We reserved a suite for mom and dad. Bailey's keeping them occupied, I need help decorating."

"You, decorating? Why not Bailey?"

"She thinks it's a silly idea. I think mom will love it. What do you say? It shouldn't take long."

"Okay."

Matt gave Terri a quick tour of the suite before they got started. It had two rooms and a balcony overlooking the city. Terri was quite pleased with the results when they finished. Matt choose to celebrate with a kiss. Terri closed her eyes and Stiles popped into her head; she relaxed and imagined she was kissing him.

Matt lowered her onto the bed and slid his hand under one of Terri's shoulder straps. That's when she finally opened her eyes.

"Matt! What are you doing? We're in your parents suite for crying out loud, stop!"

"Terri, it's time. How long have we been seeing each other, six, seven months? Don't you think it's time we consummated this relationship?"

Terri stood up and walked away from him. "I can't believe you. I've been defending our relationship to Stiles, Bailey, my mother—your mother—for months. I told all of them that I was comfortable with you, that you didn't want anything from me. Well it looks like I was wrong. All you want is to get me in bed! Is that why you brought me up here—for a quickie?"

"Of course not, Terri, give me a little credit. Wait, what gives you that idea anyway? What, are you sleeping with _HIM now?"_

_"I can't believe you asked that!"_

Matt got up, put his hands on Terri's shoulders, and stared into her eyes. "Terri, I care a lot about you. In fact, I think I'm falling in love with you. I just want to show you."

Terri stared at him, trying to read his expression; she couldn't tell if he was sincere. "Matt, I'm sorry, but I haven't changed my mind about us sleeping together. Not while I'm married. I thought you understood that."

"Terri, you have no marriage. You know that. You and I have a lot in common, we're best friends, we work well together, we're good together in every way. I just want to make love to you. Is that so terrible?"

"No, it's not so terrible, but we need to get back to the party; people will start wondering where we are."

It was terrible and she wanted to get out of that room, but she would deal with Matt later.

Matt didn't know what to think of her last comment. She didn't seem angry, and she didn't deny that there really wasn't a marriage. _Just bide your time Callan; only a little while longer and she'll be yours. Stiles won't know what hit him._

Matt was wrong, Terri was mad. He wanted sex—that was it. That's the reason he asked for her help. She seethed all the way back to the ballroom, but after talking to a couple of the other guests, she calmed down. She saw Bailey across the room and remembered what she'd said about Stiles being jealous, about how much time she'd spent with Matt that evening, about the long year Stiles must have had. Bailey was right about all of it. Terri knew she couldn't fix all of it in one night, but she could take the first step.

She went to look for Stiles. She found him in the lobby—alone and sulking.

"The party's in there." Terri said to him pointing to the ballroom.

He didn't bother to look up. "I thought you were hanging out with your boyfriend." The ring of truth in Stiles snide remark hurt.

"Stiles…"

"I'm sorry"

"It's okay, I deserved that. I asked you to come and I haven't spent any time with you. Why don't you come in with me?"

"I'm fine out here, really. Actually I should probably get going; my flight back to Chicago is early in the morning."

Terri felt terrible. He was hurt and it was her fault. She put a smile on her face and tried again. "You haven't danced with me yet. You can dance, can't you?"

She got him to smile. "Very funny; I'm actually not too bad."

"You're going to have to prove it. I get to pick two songs for us—then we can go."

"We?"

"Well I was hoping that you would drive me home, since I don't have my car." Terri smiled at him playfully. "Or are you going to make me walk?" She was about to tell him she would ask Matt but thought better of it.

"You win; two songs and we can go home."

Terri held out her hand; Stiles took it and stood up. They walked right in to one of Terri's favorite fast songs. A slow song came on next but Terri led Stiles away from the dance floor.

"What happened to two songs and we could go home?"

"I believe I said two songs that I choose. I don't care for that one." If Stiles could have resisted her smile, they would have been on their way to car right them. Instead, he was on his way to the punch bowl.


	28. Always

**Title: **The More Things Change

**Author: **Michelle

**Rating: **PG-13

**Disclaimer: **Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.

**Part 27: Always**

Liz walked up and kissed Stiles' cheek. "I'm so glad you came."

"Hi Liz. Happy anniversary."

"Thank you darling. Where is that beautiful wife of yours? How are things going with you two? You seemed like you were having fun out there."

"She's over there." He pointed at the table where Terri was waiting for him. "Things are progressing—slowly, but progressing nonetheless." He wanted to add that they would be much better if her son would stay away from Terri. Before he finished the thought, Matt walked up and sat down next to Terri.

"So Matt isn't giving you too much trouble?" Liz saw the puzzled look on his face and thought she should explain. "I saw who he was dancing with when they called for the family. If he gets out of line you just let me know; I told him he isn't too old for me to put him over my knee." She followed Stiles' eyes to the table where Matt had joined Terri.

"Terri, about earlier…"

"Matt, I don't want to talk about it, okay? Just forget about it. Let's enjoy the party."

Terri spotted Stiles and Liz and stood up before Matt had a chance to say anything else. She was afraid that if she said anything else they would end up in an argument and she didn't want that—not there.

"I could just snatch a knot in him. Listen, don't you worry about him. She is your wife and I'm sure she'll remember that. If she doesn't you're just charming enough to make her fall in love with you again."

Stiles picked Liz up, hugged, and kissed her. It was nice to have someone else on his side. He really missed having a mother. Liz's feet were barely back on the ground when Terri appeared with Matt close on her heels.

"What are you talking about over here?"

"Oh, a little of this, a little of that," Liz answered and winked at Stiles.

Terri was about to say something else when the music started. She paused and listened carefully as though she was trying to figure out the name of the song. Matt was about to ask her to dance when she spoke.

Ignoring Matt, Terri turned to his mother."Liz, will you excuse us please?"

Liz smiled at Terri and made a face at her son. "Of course dear."

Terri took Stiles' hand and led him to the dance floor. "Song number two."

Bailey kissed her husband when she heard the song and saw her two best friends walking to the dance floor. "You did very well, my dear," She said remarking on Chance's ability to have the DJ play the song at exactly the right moment.

They walked to the dance floor during the intro, Terri still holding Stiles' hand. Stiles had a stunned look on his face. "You don't like it? I love this song." Stiles didn't respond as he put his arm around his wife and began dancing.

Girl you are to me  
All that a woman should be  
and I dedicate my life to you, always  
A love like yours is rare  
It must have been sent from up above  
and I know you'll stay this way, for always

Terri couldn't help but notice the glisten of tears in his eyes when she looked up at Stiles. She battled an internal war over whether or not to say anything. Her curious side won. "You okay?"

She received no reply as they danced to the next verse. He closed his eyes and held onto her tightly.

"Stiles?"

And we both know  
That our love will grow  
and forever it will be you and me  
Ooh, You're like the sun  
Chasing all the rain away  
When you come around  
You bring brighter days  
You're the perfect one for me  
and you forever will be  
and I will love you so, for always

Come with me my sweet  
Let's go make a family  
and they will bring us joy for always

Oh boy I love you so  
Can't find enough way to let you know  
But you can be sure; I'm yours, for always

He didn't say a word while the song was playing. He was lost in the words--images of their wedding day playing on his mind. When the song was over, Stiles opened his eyes and looked down at his wife. "Thank you."

Terri assumed he meant for dancing with him. "You're welcome. I was pretty sure you wouldn't step on my feet."

"You didn't…You don't remember do you?" Stiles asked disappointed.

Terri shook her head. "Remember what?"

"The song, I thought you remembered. IHOP this morning and then this, I thought you remembered."

"Is it a special song to you?"

"To us; it's the first song we ever danced to together and it kind of became our song. The first time was on Andros, the last time was at our wedding reception."

"Stiles, I'm sorry I don't remember." Terri was genuinely sorry. She had fought remembering for months, determined that she couldn't have fallen in love with much less married this man. Now she could see the sadness in his eyes when she was with Matt, when he said 'I love you' and she didn't, when she couldn't remember something special to just the two of them.

This time though, he wasn't sad; he was hopeful. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. When she looked up he was smiling. "It's okay; it means the world to me just knowing that you want to. I think you remember more than you realize. You did choose 'our song' for our second dance. I don't think that's a coincidence."

He'd gotten her to smile! Ten things ran through Terri's mind. She wasn't sure what to say to him. She did want to remember, but now standing in front of him as he looked at her with such hope she was a bit unnerved. Instead of responding to his last comment, she told him they should find Liz and Carson before they went home.

As they got back to the table where Terri left her purse, Bailey and Chance appeared. "Hey, looked like you guys were having a good time out there." Terri shook her head. Stiles smiled as he reached out and put his hand on the small of Terri's back. "You could say that."

"We're going to head out; he's got an early flight tomorrow."

"Oh yeah, Chicago."

"Didn't you just get back from Chicago?"

Stiles rolled his eyes as he looked in Matt's direction. "Yeah, it seems that I'm still needed there. I had to pull rank to come home for this."

Bailey hugged him. "Well I'm glad you did. I know both mom and dad were glad to see you."

Chance whispered to Stiles, "I'll keep an eye on things while you're gone. But by the way, she looked happy with you tonight. I don't think you have anything to worry about." Stiles sure hoped he was right.

Bailey hugged Terri and thanked her for all of her help. When she let her go, she noticed the faraway look on Terri's face.

"Are you okay? I thought things went well with you two tonight, did I miss something?"

"No, it's just Matt and Stiles…Oh Bailey; I think I'm falling in love with my husband."

Bailey smiled and hugged Terri again. "Honey, that's a good thing; I'm so happy for you. It'll be okay I promise. Everything will work out the way it's supposed to. Trust me." Bailey winked at her friend as Stiles took his wife's hand and walked her to the door.

Matt caught up with the four of them at the door. As soon as Stiles saw him, he moved closer to Terri. "Terri it's still early you don't have to go so soon."

"He's my ride and he's got the flight to Chicago early tomorrow morning."

"I can drive you."

"No that's okay."

Matt smiled at her and leaned in to kiss her goodbye. As he got close to her face, Terri instinctively turned and he missed her lips and got her cheek instead. Stiles didn't say a word, but the look on his face told Matt he'd noticed. Matt watched as Stiles walked out with his arm around Terri's waist.

"What was that all about?" Chance wondered aloud.

Bailey smiled broadly. "She's falling in love with him."

"Him who?"

She poked him in the side and looked at him astonished. "Her husband, of course!"

"Of course," Chance mumbled to himself as they headed back inside.

Always Performed by: Atlantic Starr and Written by: Jonathan Lewis, David Lewis, and Wayne Lewis


	29. Goodnight

**Title: **The More Things Change

**Author: **Michelle

**Rating: **PG-13

**Disclaimer: **Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.

**Part 28: Goodnight**

The ride home was quiet; both Terri and Stiles were silently evaluating the evening. It wasn't until they reached their neighborhood that Terri spoke. "The party turned out great; Carson and Liz seemed really surprised and happy."

"Yeah; maybe 40 years from now our kids will throw us a big party." He'd gone out on a limb suggesting anything about their marriage so far into the future, but after the past week, he was feeling pretty good about things; he wanted Terri to know that their marriage meant a lot to him. Now he'd hold his breath and wait for her response.

He got more than he hoped for. Terri leaned over and kissed him. "Um, I was thinking maybe 25 years."

Terri hopped out of the car. Stiles didn't move; did she just say what I think she said? He couldn't believe his ears. After the way the evening began, he was practically in shock over the turn of events.

When they got inside Stiles said goodnight and headed to his room to repack. Terri went to her room. The entire time he was getting ready, Stiles couldn't stop smiling; he hadn't been this happy in a long time.

Twenty minutes later Stiles was ready for bed. He was about to turn out the light when Terri appeared in his doorway. He stopped and stared at her; he thought she looked amazing, even in cotton pj's.

"Hey. I thought you went to bed."

Terri walked toward him. "I just wanted to say thank you for coming. I am really sorry about everything." She considered saying more but changed her mind. She wanted to tell him that she was scared of the way she felt, that she needed Matt to balance her feelings, that she was sorry she had hurt him. Instead, all she said was, "goodnight."

Stiles didn't ask any questions and he didn't protest when she stood on her toes and kissed him. He kissed her back. The kiss quickly turned passionate and before she realized it, Terri was inches away from Stiles' bed. She stopped him after he untied her robe.

She pulled away and breathlessly called his name. "Stiles, we…"

He stopped whatever argument she was about to make by kissing her again. Terri relaxed a bit and let herself be swept away as her heart took over. Her brain finally took over again when she felt Stiles' hand slide under her camisole. This time she was more forceful: she used one hand to pull his from underneath her top and planted her other one firmly on his bare chest as she pushed herself away. "Stiles stop, I, we can't."

Stiles let her go as he squeezed his eyes tight and tried to refocus. It had been so long. He wanted her so much he could barely stand it. When he opened his eyes, Terri had retied her robe and was almost out the door.

"Terri, wait."

She stopped without turning around, one hand on the open door frame.

"I'm sorry." He reached for her arm and gently turned her around. It's just that…" He didn't finish. How could he tell her that he missed holding her, caressing her? How could he tell her that his body ached for hers, that he wanted, no needed to make love to her? The look on her face said she wasn't ready to hear it. Despite all of the progress they had made she was still apprehensive.

"Goodnight Stiles, I'll see you in the morning." Terri pulled her arm away and walked back to her room. Stiles leaned against the door, one hand on the wall the other protecting his forehead as he tried to knock some sense into himself. He had pushed too hard and his lustful desperation was going to be her last image of him before he left for two days.

Terri sat down on her bed and took a deep breath. She'd wanted to stay with him but she was afraid. It may have been the look in his eyes when he started to undress her, it may have been her nerves. She couldn't stop thinking about what happened with Matt earlier—the way he looked at her was raw, desperate. The way Stiles looked at her was different, she knew he wanted to make love to her too, but there was more—he really did care about her. She knew he loved her.

Stiles lay on his back staring at the dark ceiling trying to calm his mind and stop thinking about what he wished had happened. He reached to pull out his journal, but he couldn't bear to write this time. He couldn't write that he was getting more desperate every day, that he thought he might go crazy if he went much longer without making love to her. He didn't want to write one more time that she had rejected him. It was better left forgotten.

He barely stirred when, several minutes later, he heard his door open. He turned toward the door but didn't say anything as the shadow from the doorway walked to his bed and sat down.

Somehow, even though he didn't move, Terri knew he was awake. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have let things get as far as they did." She smiled and added, "But you are a pretty good kisser."

"I'm a very good kisser, thank you." Stiles smiled in the dark, but he still didn't move for fear she would run away again.

There was an awkward pause before Terri nervously revealed why she came back. "Can I stay? And sleep, I mean?"

Stiles' heart began beating faster. He could only manage a whisper. "Yeah."

As Terri stood up to take off her robe,Stiles moved over to make room for her. When she climbed in,she was so close to him the hair on his arm stood up.

Stiles was uncomfortable sleeping on his back and wanted to turn over but didn't for fear that he would touch her. They lay that way for mere seconds though it felt like an eternity to Stiles. When Terri noticed how still he was, she held her breath and took a chance. Hold me?"

Stiles finally moved. He turned on his side and slid closer to her. With one arm over her waist, he pulled her to him. They fit together perfectly, the top of her head just under his chin. She leaned into him and immediately he was taken in by her scent; she was wearing his favorite perfume and just a hint of it lingered on her neck. He leaned down slightly and planted a soft kiss on her shoulder. "I love you."

Terri's verbal response was almost inaudible; her physical one was unmistakable. Stiles let himself drift into sleep as Terri draped her arm over his, intertwining their fingers.


	30. Promises

**Title: **The More Things Change

**Author: **Michelle

**Rating: **PG-13

**Disclaimer: **Someone else (Radiant Productions?) Owns The Agency and all of the characters portrayed in this story) therefore, the author will receive no compensation for this story.

**Part 29: Promises**

Stiles woke up and stretched. He couldn't believe Terri spent the night snuggled in his arms. He opened his eyes and rolled over--to an empty bed. He wondered if he dreamed the whole thing—it wouldn't have been the first time.

Stiles got up to eat and practically ran into Terri as he left his room. "I was just about to check on you. We need to leave in about 45 minutes to get you to the airport on time."

"Come with me?"

Terri laughed. "I don't think Joshua would approve that."

"Are you sure?" Stiles gave her his best puppy dog face.

"I'm sure. Go get dressed, I'm making breakfast."

"Really?"

"Yes, now go!"

Before he left he had to kiss her; it was a quick one on the lips, but it would keep him going for hours. He also decided to take a chance and tell her about his dream.

"I had the most amazing dream last night--that I fell asleep holding you." The only reaction he got was a smile.

"What?"

As she headed down the stairs, Terri nonchalantly told him what he was hoping to hear. "You didn't dream that. I can't remember the last time I slept so well. Now go get dressed or we'll be late!"

Stiles was grinning from ear to ear. He hadn't dreamed it; it was all real! He was still smiling when he came down for breakfast 20 minutes later.

"What's with the grin?"

"I'm just happy, that's all."

Terri smiled to herself. She was amazed that just being with her made him so happy.

She was quiet all the way to the airport, thinking about the past evening, the past few weeks really. When they got there, instead of dropping him off, Terri pulled into the garage. "Hey, I think you missed your turn.'

"No, I know the timing is bad, but I need to say something before you leave."

Stiles felt a knot form in the pit of his stomach. "Go on."

"I said I'd wait a year to see if my memory came back before I made a decision about us, but…"

"Terri don't, not now. Let me enjoy this." G_reat, what was last night, good bye?_

"Let me finish. When Bailey told me that you and I were married, I didn't want to believe her. You know that. The only thing I could remember about you was that you thought I was responsible for Matt's death and that you didn't think I was good enough to watch your back. Once we went back to work I started remembering other little things, none of which improved my opinion of you."

"Like what?"

"It's not important."

"It's important to me!"

Terri sighed. "Stiles really, it's not important. Please just let me finish."

In typical Stiles fashion, he did let her finish—while he looked straight ahead andpouted. "What I'm trying to say is that I didn't want to remember us; I just couldn't see myself married to someone like you—I couldn't understand why you would want to be married to someone like me. Then Matt came back and he asked me out and I know you don't want to hear this but…"

"You're right, I don't want to hear about Callan. Look, I gotta go." Stiles turned toward the door. He had his hand on the handle when he heard the doors lock. "Terri…"

Terri took a deep breath and continued; she needed to get through this before he left. "I'm sorry, but I need to finish this before you leave."

Stiles sat back and folded his arms across his chest. He couldn't believe she was holding him hostage to tell him about her boyfriend.

"He made me feel special; he didn't want anything from me—that I could see. He just wanted to spend time with me."

Stiles wasangry and before he realized it he snapped at her. "What do you think I want?"

Ignoring his outburst, Terri continued calmly. "I was comfortable with him and I remembered how close we were before he "died."

"Terri, is there a point to this? I need to go."

"The point is I was wrong about you. I see that now."

To Stiles' surprise, she stopped. She wanted him to look at her; she wanted his full attention. Terri gently placed her hand on his cheek and turned his face toward her. "Please look at me." When he turned to face her, she finished what she needed to say.

"I guess I was just scared and I needed to be with and around people I felt comfortable with. "I fought remembering so long. I should have given you a chance and …"

"And what?"

"And now that I've gotten to know you I really want to remember—everything. The thing is I don't know if I ever will. I just hope you'll give me a chance. I do want to try."

Next to hearing her say "I do." Stiles couldn't think of any sweeter words. He smiled from ear to ear, but there was one thing he needed to hear before he could give her an answer. "What about Callan?"

"I'm not going to see him anymore unless" she hesitated again, making him nervous.

"Unless what?"

Terri diverted her eyes away from his, "Unless you don't want me."

Stiles reached over, cupping her cheek in his hand. "Terri, I love you. I knew I was going to fall in love with you the day we met and it scared me to death, but marrying you is the smartest thing I've ever done. Of course, I want you. I will always want you."

It was Terri's turn to smile. She couldn't believe how amazing she felt when he told her that he wanted her; just a few weeks ago that same revelation would have terrified her. "Okay."

Stiles laughed; it was just like her to end a deep discussion so matter-of-factly.

"Why are you laughing?"

"I don't know." Stiles leaned across the seat and kissed his wife.

"You better get going so you don't miss your plane."

"Yeah" was all he said. He hadn't been so happy since they left Ireland. He gave her one last kiss and jumped out of the car. He was going to have to run to make it to the gate on time. He started running then stopped and yelled back to Terri, "I'll call you when I get there! I love you."

Terri's butterflies came fluttering back and the smile didn't leave her face as she drove home.

* * *

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to make it." Jackson took a good look at his friend and colleague. "You look…" Jackson searched for the right word to describe Stiles. "Well this morning." 

"She's dumping him."

"Who's dumping whom?"

"Terri, she's cutting Callan loose. She wants to work on our marriage."

"I'm glad to hear it. I know things haven't been easy."

"That's an understatement. My wife has been dating my boss—my boss, who blames me for taking her away from him, has been working overtime to keep me out of town. Yeah, it hasn't been easy."

"Well, maybe things will get better. I don't want to have to get between your fist and his face again anytime soon."

Stiles smiled at Jackson. Jackson hadn't said much, but as usual, he'd made his point.

* * *


	31. Brunch and Shopping

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 30: Brunch and Shopping**

**Note: This is my favorite chapter. I hope you enjoy it!**

Terri walked around her house smiling. For the first time in months she felt settled; she knew what she wanted. She walked in the living room and picked up the large frame on the mantle. Inside was a picture of her and Stiles on their wedding day. She looked so happy in an embrace with her new husband. She looked at the date engraved in the porcelain frame. In just a few weeks she would have been married for a year the most important two weeks of which she didn't remember.

After staring at the photo for several minutes, Terri went to the shelf and pulled out the video of the event; she'd never finished watching it. She had to smile when the song played for their first dance: now she fully understood Stiles' reaction when she chose _Always_ for their second song the previous evening. She watched herself glide across the dance floor in his arms. She looked so content. She wanted to remember how that felt. She wanted to feel that in love again.

Terri rewound the video to the wedding as though if she watched it enough times the memory would resurface. She was reciting her vows for the third time when the doorbell rang.

"Hi! What are you guys doing here? Come in!" She opened the door so Bailey, Liz and Helen could enter.

"Can't a mother visit her daughter?" Helen smiled mischievously.

"And what abut you two?"

"We're taking you to brunch at mom's club then we're going shopping. Grab your purse."

Terri laughed. "What's really going on?"

"I want to hear all about last night."

"And so do we." Helen chimed in.

"Come on, it'll be fun, just the girls. Chance is at work and Daddy and Evan are going to the game."

Terri turned off the TV and dutifully got her things. It was turning out to be a very interesting day.

They weren't even off her street when Helen started pumping her for information. "So, are you staying married or not?"

"Mother."

"Don't mother me; are you or aren't you?"

"As of right now, we are." Terri said with zero expression on her face. She was having a little fun with her mother.

Helen sighed. "What kind of answer is that—as of right now?"

Bailey laughed. "Oh Terri, tell her what she wants to hear; I already told her you two had a good time together last night."

Now she smiled. "No, we had a great time."

Liz chimed in with her opinion. "Oh, I'm so glad; he's such a doll. You two belong together."

"Enough about what happened at the party, what happened _after _the party?"

If Bailey hadn't been driving, Terri would havepunched her arm. As it was, she just gave her a stern look and kept quiet. Helen wasn't about to let it go at that.

"Well Theresa? What about it, what happened after the party?"

The three women were like teenagers at a slumber party. "Come on girl, spill it!"

Terri looked over her shoulder and frowned. "Not you too Liz; I thought you were the one sensible one in the car."

"Ha Ha, not today my dear. I talked to him last night and I'm pretty sure going home and watching TV wasn't what was on his mind."

"Liz!"

"Mom!"

"I'm mature not ancient, girls!"

After another round of laughter and a short pause, Terri gave them what they wanted.

"Well, on the way home we talked about how lovely the party was. When we got in, we said good night. Stiles had to pack for his trip and we had an early morning. That's about it."

Helen and Liz were disappointed. "That's it?"

"Uh-huh, that's it." But Bailey could see her face—she knew there was more to the story and she wasn't about to let her off the hook—not yet.

"Sorry missy, I don't believe you for one minute. You haven't stopped grinning since we got in the car. Don't make me start telling secrets to get you to talk."

Terri looked at Bailey and tried to look upset, but she couldn't; Bailey was right there was more and she was grinning because she was happy.

"Well, we slept together and it was magnificent."

Bailey smiled. Liz covered her mouth as she grinned. Helen wasn't amused. "Well, I could have gone the rest of the afternoon without that much detail."

"See what happens when you pry?"

It was less than thirty seconds before Terri burst out laughing.

"What on earth is so funny? Are you laughing at me Theresa?"

"Yes! Mother, I love you but I you are nosey. I couldn't resist. When I said we slept together, that's exactly what I meant. We _slept _together and it was wonderful. I had such a good time last night that I didn't want to it to be over. He was a perfect gentleman, by the way." There was no way she would have ever told Helen the details of her sex life or in this case her lack thereof.

Helen pouted while the others continued talking. Bailey was delighted; Terri was practically on cloud nine.

"Awww, how sweet."

"He let you sleep in the same bed with him and that's it? Poor boy hasn't had sex in almost a year; it must have been driving him crazy." Liz amused herself with her little joke and Helen surprised even herself by laughing.

Terri _knew _it was driving him crazy but she kept that detail to herself.

While they were eating, Terri really opened up. "Liz, I told Stiles I'm not going to see Matt anymore."

"Good. He's been rotten about the whole thing anyway. Though like I said, I wouldn't mind having you for a daughter-in-law."

Terri smiled at Liz and mouthed, "Thank you."

"Darling, have you remembered anything else?"

"Just little things, some of which I don't even realize are memories. I made chicken parmesan forStiles a few nights ago after I had to cancel lunch. He told me it is his favorite and that I always made it for a peace offering. I didn't consciously remember that. Then last night he promised to dance with me and let me pick the songs. The second song I chose was the first song from the reception—but I didn't' know it. He thinks I'm remembering."

"Yeah, I told you it would happen. Terri, you have to tell them what you told me last night."

"Bailey!"

"Oh come on, it was sweet."

Helen couldn't stand it as Bailey and Terri bantered back and forth she wanted to know. "Well?"

Terri looked at Bailey and nodded.

"She's falling in love with her husband. Isn't that great? She doesn't really remember him, but she's falling in love with him again."

Liz gave Terri an "I told you so look" and gave her a hug. Helen wanted more information.

"What did he say when you told him this?"

"I haven't told him, but I did tell him I'm not going to see Matt." There was a pregnant pause. "And I told him I want to work on our marriage."

"Finally," Helen breathed a sigh of relief. She did not want to go through another divorce.

Terri leaned on the palm of her hand and looked at the three women at the table with a smile on her face. "Tell me about him—about us."

"What do you mean?"

Terri was beaming. "I want to know everything!"

Bailey, Liz and Helen spent the rest of the afternoon telling stories about Terri and Stiles relationship. Occasionally Bailey would wink at Terri to let her know the details would have to wait until they were alone.

Terri decided she would have to do something special for Bailey to thank her for getting the four of them together. Everything Terri heard that afternoon proved to her that she was making the right decision; she could see that she and Stiles really did belong together.

The ladies shopping spree was no less eventful. Terri knew she was in trouble when Bailey insisted on going into a lingerie store. Asit turned out, she should have been more concerned with their mothers.

"Liz, what do you think about this?" Helen asked holding up a long ivory gown and robe.

Liz walked over and examined the garment. "It's beautiful.Evan will love it too," she added winking at Helen.

Helen handed the set to her daughter who was also admiring it. "Honey this is for Terri. This…" she paused and pulled out a matching red and black teddy and bikini, "is for me!"

Terri gasped trying not to picture her mother in that outfit and Bailey and Liz laughed when they realized Helen might be serious.

"What, you think just because you two are the newlyweds you get to have all the fun?" Liz asked. I may have to find a little something for myself!"

The four women were having a great (and for Terri somewhat embarrassing) afternoon. Terri had to suffer one more indignity before she could drag them out.

She was in the dressing room trying on bras when two negligees appeared over the door. "Try these on. When he comes home you've got to knock his socks off. "

"Liz?" Terri asked a bit surprised.

"And Bailey"

She should have known Bailey had something to do with this latest development.

"I'll be back. I'm going to see if your mother found anything else, but don't you dare take those off until your mother and I come back!"

Terri pulled the garments over the door and held them up—there was a long, pink and floral print silk flyaway gown with a matching lace panty and a short, black mesh baby doll and matching thong. The tag said it was 'sheer, sweet, and sexy." It was definitely sheer. Except for the thin, strategically placed satin trim at the top, there would be little left to the imagination.

Terri opened the door and stuck her head out, knowing Bailey would still be there. "I can't believe you let them do this! I'm not letting them see me in either of these! I'll get you for this Bailey Callan-Chancellor!"

Bailey just smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Hey, it was either you or me and it's your turn!"

No sooner than she'd closed the door Liz and Helen returned with more things. Terri was shaking her head as somehow the three of them convinced her to let them see her in each of the outfits. She was beyond embarrassed when her mother made her turn around so they could see the back of the first outfit and made comments about how much skin she should show. Bailey did her best to keep quiet for fear she would be next.

"Liz what to you think? I'm getting her the pretty ivory one, but when he comes home I think she needs to be showing a little skin."

"Oh, of course"

"Then again, like you said, the poor boy is no doubt starving for a little attention; whatever she wears won't be on her very long!"

Terri rolled her eyes as she walked over to Bailey and whispered. "I can't believe the two of them. Two hours ago she thought I was sharing too much when I told her we slept together, now listen to her!"

"Oh Terri, she's just having fun, and she's right ya know, he won't be able to keep his hands off of you if he sees you in either of those."

"Okay, that's enough. You three have had your fun. Can we get out of here—please!"

Terri looked so pitiful that Helen felt a little sorry for her. "Alright honey, you're right, but we're just trying to help; we don't want you messing up your first night together since—what, before the accident?"

"Mom!"

"We're going, we're going" Helen did care deeply about her daughter and she was ecstatic that she seemed happy again. So happy, in fact, that she bought Terri all three of the outfits.


	32. Dear Terri

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 31: "Dear Terri"**

When Terri got home, she finished her wedding video. As she put it away, she saw the video of Stiles and her in Nice. Something compelled her to watch it again. He was right; she had thrown herself at him. It was so unlike her; as she said, she is more of a thinker, but when she watched them interact, she could tell there was a spark between them even through all of the hostility. She so wanted to feel that again. Terri didn't even realize she'd remembered something; she and Stiles hadn't talked about their first conversation after that night—the day he was on the hijacked plane.

Terri was almost in Stiles' bedroom when the phone rang. "Hello"

"Hey gorgeous, do you miss me?"

Terri's smile lit up the room. "As a matter of fact I do. What's going on there?"

"Not much yet. I have to go over fsome things fortomorrow. Jackson and I are about to have dinner then I'm hitting the books."

"Sounds like fun. I forgot Jackson was going back with you."

"Yeah. I have to admit that I was glad to see him. This isn't exactly high entertainment."

"I'll bet."

"What did you do today?"

"Bailey, Liz and Mom dragged me out to brunch at Liz's club. Then we went shopping."

"Oh," was Stiles disinterested response.

"I got something for you."

"Really? I love presents, what is it?"

"Let's just say I know all of Victoria's little secrets and if you're a good boy so will you."

Stiles closed his eyes and inhaled sharply; oh, how he wished the conference were over.

"You're killing me, you know that?"

"Uh-huh." Terri grinned as she bit her bottom lip. He was hundreds of miles away and he still had the ability to make her blush.

Stiles heard a knock at his door. "Ohh that must be Jackson. I gotta go."

"I'll talk to you later?"

"You bet. Terri, I love you. Remember that."

"I know. Goodbye Stiles."

As soon as she hung up the phone, Terri looked around Stiles' room. She wanted to know more about him--the cologne he wears, how he folds his socks, boxers or briefs—all of it. Terri was going to give herself a crash course in A.B. Stiles over the next couple of days.

Terri decided to turn in early. With all of the excitement the past two days, she was exhausted. She put on one of Stiles' t-shirts and flopped on his bed. She slid under the covers and got comfortable in the middle of the bedthen reached over to turn out the light. When she did, she knocked his pillow on the floor and saw a bound book lying where the pillow had been. On the front were the words "Dear Terri" in what appeared to be a woman's handwriting. It looked a lot like Bailey's writing. Terri's curiosity took over and reasoning that her name was on the front, she opened the book and began reading.

_"Dear Terri,_

_Bailey thinks writing to you will help me. I don't know. I told her diaries are for teenage girls and she quickly corrected me saying that this is a journal. You know, where I'm supposed to write down all of the things I want to tell you but can't—either because I'm afraid or because you won't let me. Anyway, here I am writing to you._

_Last night was our first date since you lost your memory. I cooked for you then I gave you a tour of the house. I thought you were having a good time then you dropped the bomb on me—separation. Terri, I never thought in a million years that I would be separated. When I decided to get married it was for life. I can't believe this is happening to me, to us. I can't believe that after all we went through to get to this point you want to end it._

_Do you have any idea how much I love you? Do you know how much it hurts to hear that you're dating another man? When we first started dating I was a little worried about Jeff, but we got past that. Then Matt came back. I really thought you were involved before he died; when he came back, it was obvious that he had feelings for you, but I believed you when you said there was nothing there. I believed you when you told me you were just friends and you weren't interested. I never thought you would cheat on me especially not with my boss! I wanted to slug that guy when I saw him this morning. If __Jackson__ hadn't stopped me, I would have! He knows you are married to me for crying out loud! What is his deal?_

_Oh, I know what it is; he blew it with you before so now he is trying again, but what about you? You always told me how bad you felt finding out your husband cheated on you. Even if you don't remember us how could you see someone else knowing you're married? How could you do this to me? You are no better than Jeff is! You two deserve each other!"_

That was it for the first entry. Terri felt awful when she finished reading it; she really hadn't thought much about how hurt he'd been, how much he really loved her and just how scared he was that he would lose her. She flipped a few pages until she saw a date that might mean something to her.

_Dear Terri,_

_It's Thanksgiving—our day, but instead of spending it with you I'm alone. After our first one together, we said we would never be apart on Thanksgiving again. That was both the worst Thanksgiving and the best Thanksgiving of my life. There I was, trapped in that dark, rat-infested prison when I heard your voice. It was like music to my ears to hear you say you wanted to see me again. I never told you that was the day I knew I would marry you._

_That Thanksgiving in __Odessa__, everyone told me you were the one that kept fighting for me; that you wouldn't give up. Would you even try now? Would you even talk to me? Would you care?_

_Your Mom called and invited me for dinner, but what is the point? You can't stand to be in the same room with me! Thanks for the TV dinner you left—at least it is turkey, I will give you that. Then again, the turkey dinner was probably a coincidence; I bet it's been up there for weeks."_

_I know you don't remember everything and I know what you remember about me isn't the best, but you never hated me before; whenever I was in trouble you were there. I can't help but wonder if I was on that plane today, if you help me talk to the pilot or if would you just let me die. _

Terri jumped up and grabbed a tissue as her tears hit the book. She had no idea how depressed he had become and no idea how lonely he was that day while she was enjoying dinner with her family and friends.

Her guilt was just beginning.

_"Dear__ Terri,_

_You don't deserve the dear! I was so happy when you said you wanted to move in. I knew it would be a new beginning for us even when you told me you were still going to see HIM. I should have punched him when I had the chance. The nerve of that guy having dinner with my wife, in my house! And what about you? What are you doing cooking for him anyway? I was going to take you out tonight. Instead, while you're downstairs in MY dining room—yeah, I said MY, I'm the one paying the mortgage; you haven't given me a dime—having dinner with your boyfriend, your husband is sitting up here eating leftovers! Looking at the two of you makes me sick!"_

_"Terri,_

_I hate you! I hate that you don't know me. I hate that you don't want me. I hate that you are dating another man. I hate that he has touched your lips and I can't even think about what else. I hate my life, I don't think I can take much more of this!"_

His writing was barely legible. After Terri's tears fell on the fine, bold stokes, his words were impossible to read. She was crying before she read this entry, but it got worse. She sobbed the deep, heavy sobs of someone in mourning; her husband was dying inside and she didn't notice. Really, at the time, she didn't even care and that was what made her the saddest.

Terri couldn't read anymore. She put down the book and picked up the phone.


	33. That's What Friends Are For

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 32: That's What Friends Are For**

Bailey and Chance were stretched out on the couch watching a movie. Bailey had just gotten comfortable when the phone rang.

"Hello"

"Bailey, can you talk?"

Bailey sat up. Chance pressed stop on the remote; he could tell by Bailey's body language that it was going to be a serious conversation.

"Terri, you sound like you've been crying. Are you okay?"

"No. Bailey, why didn't you tell me how sad he was, how alone? What have I done?"

"Terri, honey calm down. What are you talking about?"

"Stiles. I found his diary, the one you gave him."

Bailey suddenly forgot the seriousness of the conversation; she was excited that Sties was actually using her gift.

"Really, he's using it?"

Terri ignored Bailey's question. "It said 'Dear Terri' so I picked it up and started reading. Bailey, it's awful what I've put him through. I haven't been able to stop crying. He should hate me."

"Sweetie, it's a diary. Didn't you have one when you were younger?"

"Of course, but what does that have to do with this?"

"I vented in my diary. What I wrote was true at the time, but things were never as bad as they would have seemed from reading my diary. I'm sure this is the same thing."

"You don't understand. He wrote that he hates me. Bailey I left him home alone on Thanksgiving. He wrote that we promised that we would always be together that day because of something that happened in Odessa. I don't even know what happened in Odessa! What kind of person am I?"

"You are a very caring person who was in a serious accident. Things have happened that you regret, but you have the rest of your life to make it up to him. You told me you're falling in love with him and you know that he loves you; keep that close to your heart."

"Thank you. You always know what to say," Terri confessed through what she hoped were the last of her tears.

"Yeah, I know. That's why you keep me around."

Bailey got Terri to laugh then offered to come over. "I would love to have you come but you're still a newlywed. Stay home with your husband." Terri paused briefly then added, "You never know how much time you have with him."

"Are you sure?"

Terri tried to put a smile in her voice. "Absolutely!"

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bright and early. Goodnight Bailey, and thank you."

"You're welcome. Goodnight."

Chance was watching Bailey through the entire conversation. "You're going over there, aren't you?"

Bailey gave him her best puppy-dog face.

"What's wrong?"

She read his diary.

"You mean that book you told him is a journal?"

"Chance!"

"I'm sorry, but that is what you told him. I can see him now, hunched over writing, "Dear Diary"

Bailey threw a pillow at him as they both laughed.

"Apparently he was a little hard on her."

"He should have been. He should be nominated for sainthood for putting up with her and Matt all this time."

"I didn't know you felt that way."

"Come on Bailey, she's been dating your brother--having dinner with him while Stiles was in the house! And you know Matt's been shoving it down his throat every chance he gets."

Bailey sighed. "I know and I could just choke Matt. He's really been taking advantage of the situation."

"Yep. Is she mad at him?"

"No. You'll be happy to know that she feels guilty. She's just realized how bad things got for him. I think she's worried that he's still mad at her."

"Are you kidding? He's head over heels in love with her. Didn't you tell me they made up before he left? They looked pretty cozy last night."

"Yes, but now she's read what he's been thinking and she's worried. Honey, she needs me."

"I need you too. You guys were together all morning." Chance gave her the same pitiful face Bailey had given him a few minutes earlier.

"I'm sorry honey." Bailey leaned in to give him a quick kiss, which Chance turned into a long passionate one. Bailey looked up somewhat surprised.

"Just wanted you to get a taste of what you'll be missing."

"That's not fair."

"I know." Chance smiled and kissed Bailey's lips before she could say anything.

"It's okay though. The way you care for and about your friends is one of the things I love most about you. The movie can wait."

"I owe you."

"Oh, yes you do Mrs. Chancellor. Yes you do." Chance winked at her as he looked for a different movie. He knew she wouldn't be back that night.

Terri felt better after talking to Bailey. She always did. She put the journal back under the pillow and tried to go to sleep. She jumped slightly when she heard the doorbell.

Terri couldn't suppress her smile when she opened the door and saw Bailey standing on her porch, overnight bag in hand.

"Bay, what are you doing here? I told you I'm okay."

"I know you did." Terri just stood staring at her in disbelief. "Hey, are you going to let me in or what?"

"You don't have to do this."

"I know."

The two women spent the next hour talking and laughing. There was no mention of Stiles until later that night.

"Bailey, I want to read more of his letters. It's probably going to make me cry again, but I feel like I need to know what he's been feeling. Is that wrong?"

"Of course not"

"Good, because I've got the journal." The book suddenly appeared from behind Terri's back.

"Here"

"What?"

"I want you to read them to me."

Bailey frowned and shook her head. "Terri, I don't think…"

"I know it's weird, but the letters are to me and I want you to read them to me. Please."

Terri sat down on the couch and put her head on Bailey's shoulder. Reluctantly, Bailey took the book. When she opened it, it fell to a group of pages that were damp and stuck together.

"What happened here?"

Terri looked up to see the wet, smeared pages.

"I couldn't read anymore of that one. It's last one I read before I called you. He says he hates me Bay."

Bailey looked down at the mess on the page; when she did, she saw something Terri couldn't have through her tears. "Listen, this is the same entry."

"I don't want to hear that again. I'll start crying."

"You're right, you may, but you need to hear this."

_"'I love you! I would give anything to kiss you, to hold you, to make love to you, to fall asleep listening to you breathe as you lay beside me. I would give anything just to see your smile directed toward me, to know that somehow you still love me as much as I love you.'"_

"See, he was just venting. He never hated you."

Terri was indeed crying. "That was so sweet. Bay, why couldn't I have just told him how I feel before he left this morning?"

"Terri, he's coming back."

"I know, it's just…how could he not hate me? Read this." Teri took the journal and found the entry he wrote on Thanksgiving.

"You warned me. You told me it was a special day for us. Bailey, I never asked him about it. I had no idea he was alone. I just assumed he spent it with his family. What happened to him that year?"

"He went on his first solo clandestine mission the Friday before Thanksgiving. Quinn waltzed in the day before Thanksgiving and announced that we would be spending the holiday at the office because one of our people was missing. He didn't even look disturbed when he told us it had been four days since anyone had heard from the agent."

"Stiles was the missing agent?"

Bailey nodded. "Stiles had only been at Langley for a couple of months and you still hadn't managed to go on a real date yet, but we all knew that you had feelings for each other. I wanted to hit Quinn the way he looked at you when you asked who the agent was. He didn't even say his name at first, he just gave you that smug look of his—he knew you would know exactly who it was."

Terri was intrigued. "What happened?"

Joshua was playing with a new technology—.a tooth transmitter." Bailey laughed. "I can't believe it was new then, it's practically antiquated now."

"Bailey!"

"Sorry. You relayed messages to Stiles through the transmitter. For hours, we didn't even know if he was getting them. Quinn kept reminding us Stiles might be in a gutter somewhere while the rest of us were busting our butts trying to find out what happened.

When it was all over, you told me that you were so worried about Stiles that you slipped away to talk to him through the transmitter. The two of you had been flirting like mad and he had actually asked you out, but you never got together. I think the gravity of the situation made you realize just how much you already cared for him. You told him you wanted to see him again. You didn't know it then, but when he heard you say that, he said 'I want to see you again too.' I almost cried when you told me he said that. When he came home, he went straight to your house."

"Why?"

"Because he wanted to see you, because hearing your voice kept up his spirits while he was trying to get out, because he knew he had someone to come home to. He and his father still weren't really getting along then and Annie was with Sam's family. Terri, it was like a beginning for you. After that Thanksgiving, you promised him he would never have to spend another one alone and he hasn't."

"Until this year. Bailey what have I done to him? I can't believe how awful I've been. I can't believe he's even speaking to me."

"What can I say? The man is seriously in love."

Bailey smiled and started glancing through the journal again. A lot of it was sad: Stiles missing Terri, Stiles angry with Terri over her dating Matt, Stiles angry with Matt. Bailey kept turning until she found something to give her friend hope even if she could only read part of the entry.

* * *


	34. I Told You So

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

Bailey started glancing through the journal. A lot of it was sad, Stiles missing Terri, Stiles angry with Terri over her dating Matt, Stiles just plain angry with Matt. She kept turning until she found something to give her friend hope even if she could only read part of the entry.

**Part 33: I Told You So**

"Terri, this is so sweet!

_'…I was just watching you at the meeting this morning when you smiled. I can't forget how much I love you. You mean everything in the world to me.'"_

Terri was still sniffling, so Bailey looked for more.

_"…This morning when you came downstairs and you were really here, I swear my heart skipped a beat."_

"_Dear Terri_,

_I have to thank Bailey for insisting that I do this."_

_B_ailey stopped reading and smiled. Terri laughed at her.

"What?"

"You're mighty pleased with yourself aren't you?" Bailey looked down at Terri, smiled back, and said in her most innocent voice said, "what ever gave you that idea?

Terri laughed again. "Hey, I got you to laugh!" After another good laugh, she went back to the journal.

_"Dear Terri,_

_I have to thank Bailey for insisting that I do this._

_Tonight was one of the best nights of my life, certainly the best night of the past year. First, you let me hold you as we danced then you told me you want us to live together!_

_You took my breath away as you walked down that isle. I watched you, thinking about our wedding. I said the vows to you in my head asChance said them to Bailey. I still love you as much as I did on our wedding day._

_You made my day when you danced with me. Holding you felt so good, so right. I know you felt it too. I could tell you didn't want to let go when the song ended. You would have let me kiss you if not for that annoying DJ._

_Why did you have to bring up Matt? Why does he always have to screw things up? I know he's messing with you, telling you things about me, making you think there was more between you than there was. If it weren't for him I know you would have started remembering…"_

Bailey flipped to the back of the journal. "Wow, this one is from yesterday."

Terri laughed. "Now I know why it took him so long to get ready."

_"Dear Terri,_

_Last night was amazing; you are amazing! I got depressed watching you with Matt all night. He made a point of making sure I knew you were with him; then he pulled you out there during the family dance. I couldn't stand it. I almost left right then._

_I was so surprised when you found me it the lobby and wanted to dance with me. And when you picked "Always," our song…Terri you have no idea how good that made me feel. I just know you're starting to remember—you have to be. Why else would you have chosen our song for us to dance to? _

_I couldn't talk the whole ride homebecause Iwas so excited andhappy. I didn't want to say anything to mess it up._

_You were irresistible in your cute cotton pajamas. When we kissed I…it's been so long. I wanted to make love to you so badly. I thought I'd pushed too hard when I tried to get you to stay with me. I was kicking myself for trying to figure out how to make things right and then…you came back. You made my night. I haven't slept that well in months. Holding you in my arms was, I can't describe how incredible that felt; I've missed that more than anything—having you near me. I didn't want to let you go._

_I was scared when I woke up this morning and you were gone. I thought you regretted last night, or worse, that I'd dreamed the whole thing. Then I smelled the coffee…._

_I don't want to leave you…_

_The only thing that would have made the night better, perfect in fact is if you would have told Callan to get lost—for good. I just wish I could tell him about last night, how I held you while he was home alone. Maybe I will..."_

Matt! Terri had forgotten all about him. She had to break up with him before Stiles got back. What an unpleasant thought; he was still her friend and she cared about him, but Stiles…there was something about Stiles.

Terri sat up and took the book from Bailey. "I have to talk to Matt. I love him Bay."

Bailey frowned. How could Terri have listened to all of those letters, how could have gone through what she did _last night_ and be in love with Matt?

"I don't know what to say. You're in love with Matt?"

"No! I want to call Matt to tell him it's over." Then she smiled. "I'm in love with my husband."

"Yea! I told you you would fall in love with him. I told Chance you would fall in love with him. He owes me dinner!"

"Bay, he's what I want, what I've always wanted How could I have been so mean to him all these months? Why has he put up with me?"

"Because he loves you Terri. He loves you."


	35. Planning and Plotting

**Title: The More Things Change1**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 34: Planning and Plotting**

"Good morning Mrs. Stiles, how was your weekend?"

Terri wanted to shout "fantastic" but she tried to be cool. "It was nice."

Joshua saw right through her. "Nice doesn't explain the smile that hasn't left your face since you walked in the door."

"I love my husband." Terri said casually as she shrugged her shoulders and walked back to her desk.

Joshua walked to his office whistling. "It's about time!"

Terri was on cloud nine. She hadn't felt this good in a long time. She was secretly relieved when she found out Matt was out of the building all day. She needed to tell him about Stiles, but not today. She wanted to enjoy her happiness. A couple of hours later, Joshua found her at her desk, staring into space.

"Mrs. Stiles, will you come into my office for a moment please?"

Terri walked in and sat down after closing the door as Joshua asked. "Joshua, I'm still working on the visas. I'm sorry, I..."

"Relax. I know you're head is somewhere else this morning. I'll forgive you this one time. That isn't why I called you in here--you should know better."

"What's going on?"

"I'm sending you on a little trip." Joshua handed her a brochure about a special forensics exhibit and seminar going on in Madison, WI. You were out of the country when it was in D.C. It should be quite interesting. You leave" Joshua looked at his watch, "in three hours."

Terri just looked at him. He had an odd look on his face. She knew something was up, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Joshua, what's really going on?"

"My dear, what makes you think anything is going on other than an exhibit and seminar?"

"I know you."

"Okay. It could be that the hotel you're staying in is the same one where Mr. Haisley and Mr. Stiles are spending the next few nights."

Terri was smiling although she still had a skeptical look on her face. "Why…" Terri stopped because Joshua's door opened.

"Ah, Ms. Callan, perfect timing."

"Bailey?"

"Joshua and I had a little conversation. I told him that it was a shame that you have to work today and tomorrow while your husband, the one you've recently realized you are in love with, is out of town at a boring conference. That's all."

Terri looked back and forth between the two and stared at them. Joshua and Bailey exchanged glances. They were worried their plans weren't going over as well as they thought.

Terri went for Bailey first. "Thank you."

"We're just getting you there. The rest is up to you."

"Eh hem. I do expect you to go to the exhibit." Joshua said as Terri hugged him.

"Thank you, both of you. I do have some pretty amazing friends."

* * *

Matt walked out of Joshua's office and glanced at Terri's desk; he'd been hoping that she would be there by the time he and Joshua finished their meeting. 

As he walked past, he noticed that her computer was shut down. Matt glanced at his watch; it was barely four o'clock. "Lex, did Terri go home already?"

"She left this morning."

"Why? Is she alright?"

"She's fine. I sent her to a seminar." Joshua squinted at the clock. "Actually, she should be landing at O'Hare right—about--now."

"She didn't say anything about going to Chicago when I saw her this weekend."

"She just found out this morning. It's really in Madison, WI, but her hotel is in Chicago." Joshua dragged out the word hotel for effect.

To this point, Lex had been watching Matt's face as he listened to Joshua, but he couldn't let this opportunity slip. "Isn't Stiles in Chicago?"

Joshua put one hand under his chin as if pondering Lex's comment. "You know, I believe he is. Mr. Callan?"

"What?" Matt asked through his teeth.

"Isn't our Mr. Stiles in Chicago this week?"

"Yes."

"Well, I wonder if Terri knows where he's staying. Maybe they could get together. Their anniversary is coming up soon, isn't it?"

"I wouldn't know."

Lex made a dramatic motion toward his desk calendar, flipping pages. "Yep, it's in a couple of weeks."

"You know, maybe I should call her and let her know where he's staying. With the budget cutbacks we could save some money if they shared a room."

Lex snickered as he watched Matt's reaction. His face contorted briefly before her coaxed his lips into a smile. He wasn't about to let them see him sweat.

"When will she be back?"

"Tomorrow evening."

"Thank you Joshua."

The wheels in Matt's brain were working hard as he waited for the elevator. When he got to his floor, he turned toward his office. After about three steps, he turned around. He wanted to see Bailey.

He didn't even knock when he got to her office.

"Hi, just the two people I needed to see. What do we have on the terrorist group in Iraq?"

"That's what we're working on now. It looks like Saheed Al Mosqaad has indeed taken up residence there. His group is the one responsible for the latest rash of car bombings and it looks like they were responsible for flight 751."

"We need to move fast on this. I may need to talk to Carl about speeding things up; our agents on the ground are having a hard time. I want as much information as you can gather by 8 am. Carl, Chance and I have a meeting in the morning.


	36. The Omni

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 35: The Omni**

Terri arrived at the Omni hotel in Chicago at 4:30 pm local time.

"May I help you?"

"I have a reservation—Terri Lowell."

The desk clerk smiled as he typed her name into the computer, then frowned. "I'm sorry ma'am, I don't have a reservation for a Terri Lowell. When did you make the reservation?"

"I didn't make the reservation. I don't know…" Terri suddenly laughed as the clerk looked at her quizzically. "Try Stiles, Terri Stiles."

The clerk looked for several minutes. He frowned, hit the keyboard and made other faces as he looked unsuccessfully.

"I'm sorry ma'am, I don't have anything for you and unfortunately, we're booked because of the convention."

"Why don't you look again?" Terri dug her reservation confirmation out of her bag and handed it to the clerk.

The clerk examined the piece of paper for several minutes before excusing himself to talk to his manager. Terri was concerned when she saw the looks on their faces.

"Ma'am, this is not ours."

"What do you mean it's not yours? This is the Omni Hotel on Michigan Avenue?"

"Yes. What I mean is, it looks like ours, it has our name on it, but this is not one of our confirmation numbers. This isn't authentic. May I ask who made the reservation for you?"

"My boss made the…Joshua! I'm going to kill him!"

"Excuse me?"

"Never mind. I'm sorry."

Terri shook her head as she gathered her things and pulled out her cell phone. She was halfway through the number when she heard her name.

"Terri?"

"Jackson?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Joshua and Bailey. They're doing a little matchmaking. He sent me to a seminar in Madison and just happened to reserve a room for me in the same hotel where you and Stiles are. Except he didn't reserve a room for me. It seems he forged the confirmation.

Jackson smiled at Joshua's faux pas. "Oh. I'm sure Stiles won't mind if you…" Jackson didn't know what to say. He knew Stiles was happy after Terri dropped him off at the airport, but he hadn't given him any details.

Terri was so concerned about contacting Joshua that she missed Jackson's comment. "I'm going to hurt Joshua when I see him."

"Terri? What are you doing here? Did something happen?"

Jackson saw the smile and the spark in Terri's eyes the minute Stiles walked up. "Joshua and Bailey."

"Huh?"

"Long story short, Joshua sent me here for a forensics seminar and it seems that due to their, well Joshua's, handiwork, I don't have a place to stay. There was a problem with my reservation."

Jackson suddenly felt like a piece of the furniture that decorated the lobby; he had no idea what had happened at that party that weekend, but he decided to give the couplesome privacy. "I'm going to my room." He held up a thick binder. "Study."

"I'll see you later Jackson."

"Stiles, I'll see you in the morning?"

"Yeah."

Stiles wanted Terri to know she could stay with him, but he was afraid she would get the wrong idea. The way things had gone Saturday nigh, he didn't want to ruin things; if there was going to be a first move, he wanted her to make it. "How long are you going to be here?"

"Just tonight. It's a one day thing up in Madison tomorrow."

Stiles started fidgeting nervously. "Well, there are two beds in my room; you're welcome to stay there. Or I could talk to Jackson, I'm sure I could share with him for one night, then you could have my room."

Terri thought about it for a few moments then smiled. "I don't want Jackson to think I'm afraid of you. Besides, you proved what a good boy you can be last night."

Stiles laughed. "Hmm." _not because I wanted to_ "Okay, follow me."

Aa Terri made herself comfortable, she heard Stiles' stomach growl. As happy as she was to see Stiles, things were a little awkward. She suggested they call Jackson and go to dinner hoping to buy herself a little more time to figure out what she wanted to say to her husband.

Jackson was surprised but happy to go to dinner with his friends. He hadn't seen Terri smile so much since before the accident. For that matter, he hadn't seen Stiles this happy since before the accident. Jackson pulled Terri aside while Stiles settled their bill.

"I'm glad you're here. He seems happy. I take it…things are going well?"

Terri smiled wistfully. "Yes, they are. I mean I wish I could remember Jackson, but I'm okay." Terri looked over at Stiles, "and I hope Stiles and I will be. He's been incredibly patient with me and I, well, I don't know how I'm going to make up for what I've put him through."

"He loves you Terri, you must know that. Maybe it's time you tell him you love him too."

Terri stepped back and looked at Jackson, astonished. "How did you…"

Jackson just smiled and looked over her shoulder at Stiles who was approaching. Terri turned to she what he was looking at.

"Did Jackson go up to his room?"

Terri jumped a little and turned around. She was still thinking about what Jackson said, _'tell him you love him.'_ when Stiles approached her. "Yeah, I guess he did."

The couple left the restaurant and rode the elevator up to their room. Both were silently relieved that another couple was in the elevator with them.

"You want the bathroom first?"

"Thanks"

Stiles wanted to be as close to sleep as possible when Terri came out. He wasn't sure if he could stand being so close to her again without touching her. Then he thought about their earlier conversation—she said something about a present and Victoria's Secret. He turned toward the door wondering if she brought whatever it was she must have picked up the previous afternoon. He got goose bumps just thinking about it. He also wondered if he should suggest she sleep with him again or if it was time to suggest more—or neither. Terri answered all his questions when she emerged from the bathroom 10 minutes later.

She walked out of the bathroom in the ivory gown and robe her mother bought her. Stiles felt his blood pressure go up when he saw her. He felt his heart in his throat when she passed "her" bed and walked over to him.

Terri smiled as she approached her bewildered husband. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat when she sat down next to him.

She didn't say a word as she took his face in her hands and softly kissed him. She looked into his astonished eyes and said simply, "I love you."

Stiles was sitting at the edge of the bed when Terri got to him. When he heard the three words he had been waiting to hear for so long, he slid off.

"Are you alright?" Terri asked through a fit of laughter. The combination of the look on his face and the way he landed on the floor was funnier than she wanted to admit.

Stiles saw the concern on her face and laughed with her. "Are you laughing at me?"

Terri helped him sit up and sat next to him on the floor. "No. Yes. I'm sorry, that just wasn't the reaction I was expecting."

"I'm just surprised; happy, but surprised. Did you get your memory back?"

"No. I just fell in love with my husband, that's all." Terri was grinning at him. Stiles just smiled at her like a lovesick boy. Then, before he could say anything, Terri, much like she did three years earlier, bent down and planted a kiss on his mouth.

When Stiles recovered, he stared into her eyes. "I love you too."

"I know." Stiles' smile matched Terri's. They sat on the floor held hands and kissed for a while. Then Stiles made his move.

"Terri,"

She didn't stop kissing his neck long enough to answer. "Hum?"

"I think we should finish what we started in my room the other night. I want to make love to you."

Terri leaned back enough to see Stiles' face. What she saw was s combination of longing and anxiety. She knew he a little afraid of how she would react, despite the calm confidence in his voice. She put both palms on his cheeks and pulled him forward for a kiss.

"And I want you too."


	37. Eleven Months, Two Days

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 36: Eleven Months, Two Days**

Stiles actually pinched himself. She was really lying next to him. _Did she really say she loves me_?

Terri stirred and opened her eyes, not clearly remembering where she was. Then she felt his arms around her. Stiles. She smiled. "Stiles."

"Huh?"

"Thank you for being so patient."

"What do you mean?"

"I know it's been a long time since you, since we…"

"Eleven months and two days." Stiles interrupted, knowing exactly what she meant.

Terri laughed so hard Stiles let her go. "Are you laughing at me again?"

"No, It's just...you know down to the day? Has it been that bad?" After reading his journal, she knew it had been that bad. She wondered if he would actually tell her.

"Eleven months, two days, six hours and…" Stiles glanced at the clock. "23 minutes." He answered in all seriousness. "Yes, it was that bad."

Terri leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I'm really sorry about everything. I'm surprised you want anything to do with me. I can't believe you don't hate me after everything I've done." Terri was thinking about Matt.

Stiles considered telling her that part of him did hate her at times; he almost told her that he'd dreamed, more than once, about actually killing Matt. He wanted her to know that he was hurt and scared and angry—but he didn't say anything; he didn't want anything to mess up the precious moments they had left before she had to go.

He moved, albeit reluctantly, when Terri suddenly turned to face him and propped herself up on one elbow. He got a little nervous when he saw the serious look on her face.

"All this time you never tried…even the other night in your room when we came close--you let me go without a fight. When I came back down you were a perfect gentleman." She looked away before continuing. Matt couldn't understand…"

"Terri please, let's not talk about him. Not now."

Terri began talking more to herself than to Stiles. It was as though she didn't even hear him. "He never gave up. He keeps trying—I almost let him… He was still trying the other night at the anniversary party. I…"

Stiles sat up.

"Exactly what happened the other night at the anniversary party?"

"Nothing, really. He just tried…" Terri regretted that she'd brought it up. She was just working through the differences between the two men. One wanted what he could get from her. The other just wanted to give to her. Now Stiles was upset and she needed to calm him before their perfect evening was ruined.

"Never mind okay? It was nothing. I just…thank you for giving me the space I needed. That's all I wanted to say." Terri held her breath waiting for his reaction.

Stiles was still stuck on what happened with Matt. He wanted to believe Terri when she said she hadn't slept with him, but it was hard. He couldn't seem to forget that he'd seen them making out more than once and it definitely wasn't innocent. But when he looked at her and he saw how worried she looked he just said, "It's okay, let's not talk about him anymore. I want to enjoy being here with you tonight."

Terri smiled tentatively and kissed him. Stiles instantly forgot about whatever it was Terri said about "Him" and kissed her back before making love to his wife again; they had to make up for lost time.

Terri was closest so she heard it first, but Stiles was the first to move. When she finally opened her eyes, the bright red numbers were staring at her: 6am.

"Terri, you have to get up. If you're not on the road by 7:30 you'll be late."

"I don't care."

Stiles laughed as he buried his face in her hair. "No, I imagine you don't. But you will when you show up at Langley emptied-handed and have to explain that your husband missed his presentation because you were distracting him."

Terri grunted something about it not being fair and got up. As soon as she moved, Stiles pulled the blanket over his head.

Terri snatched the blanket away from his face. "Uh huh. If I have to be up, so do you."

"What happened to the sweet, caring woman I married? She would let me go back to sleep."

"Hmm, well, I don't know about her, but this woman would rather have you in the shower with her. But if you want to sleep…" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Terri turned for the bathroom. She hadn't had a chance to shut the door before Stiles appeared.

Terri pulled him into the bathroom and shut the door. "I thought you'd see things my way."

Terri practically had to pry Stiles' arms from her waist when it was time to go. He couldn't shake the feeling that the last few days were an aberration. He was sure something would go wrong if he let her out of his sight; he felt too good.

"Stiles as much as I don't want to, I have to go."

"I know. Promise me something?'

"Anything," Terri answered smiling.

"You won't talk to Callan until I get back. It's just another two days and…"

Terri took a step back and looked at him. "Stiles, l have to go to work; I may not be able to avoid talking to him."

"You know what I meant."

"Stiles, I don't want to fight with you. I have to talk to him to tell him about us, but don't worry about it. Okay?" She smiled and kissed him.

"You didn't break up with him yet, did you?"

"No. I haven't had a chance."

"Yesterday was plenty enough time. I know he was in town. What are you waiting for? Oh wait, you wanted to make sure you really wanted me first, is that it, a little experiment?"

"Stiles, stop it please. We're not going to see each other for two days, let's not say goodbye on a sour note. I have everything under control. I know it's hard for you to believe that after everything that's happened, but everything will be fine. I promise. I love _you_."

He let it go, but how could he not worry? He was stuck in Chicago, a trip Matt insisted he take, while she was going back home to Him.

Stiles walked Terri to her cab then went to the conference, but he didn't hear a word; his mind was otherwise occupied. With his mind racing back and forth between thinking about how great it felt to be with Terri again and thinking about how much Matt still wanted to be with Terri, a security conference couldn't hold his attention.

It wasn't until their lunch break that Jackson got a chance to talk to Stiles. "Hey, are you okay? You seemed a little distracted when you were presenting."

"Yeah"

"I take it Terri has already left."

"At 7:30. She's flying home tonight."

Jackson stared at Stiles for a moment. He expected his friend to be happier this morning. "Stiles, I thought you would be glad she came."

"I am Jackson."

"If you say so."

"She didn't break up with him."

"What? You said she told you she would before you flew up here."

"It seems she hasn't had time. Jackson, how could she not have time? She told me that two days ago! What is she waiting for?"

"Maybe she really hasn't had time."

Stiles rolled his eyes at Jackson and started walking away. "It's about to start. We better go."

Jackson grabbed his arm and held him back. "Stiles she loves you. Did she tell you that?"

Stiles nodded.

"Good. If I can see it, I'm sure he can too. Don't worry about him anymore. Let her handle it. She was here and she didn't have to be. She didn't have to stay with you last night, but she did. She told you she loves you. I know it has been a difficult year, but don't give up on her now."

"I'm trying Jackson, I'm trying."


	38. Breaking Up is Hard to Do

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 37: Breaking Up is Hard to Do**

Terri felt good after her visit with Stiles. They loved each other and she was sure she could make their marriage work—even if she never remembered their past. She called Bailey the minute she got home.

"Where are you?"

"I just walked in the house. I miss him."

"I want details!"

Terri pretended to be appalled that Bailey would ask—for about thirty seconds. Then she told her everything--how she ran into Jackson and Stiles in the lobby, Stiles' offer to stay with Jackson, and her decision to take the silk gown with her even though she didn't know for sure that she would see her husband. Terri even told her best friend about Stiles falling off the bed when she finally told him she loves him.

Bailey and Terri stayed on the phone for over an hour. When Chance got home, he didn't have to ask who was on the other end of the line. As soon as he walked into the room, Bailey pointed to the phone and mouthed, "Terri. You owe me."

Chance just rolled his eyes and walked out smiling. He should have known better than to bet against Bailey when it came to Terri and Stiles—he always lost.

Bailey went to look for him as soon as she hung up. "So she finally slept with him, huh?"

Bailey couldn't stop grinning. "Yep. _And_ she told him she loves him. I told you she would! Chance, I'm really happy for them."

"Me too; I don't know how he's done it. I would have put your brother in the hospital by now."

Bailey leaned over and kissed Chance.

"What was that for?"

"I know how you feel about Matt and I know if he weren't my brother you would have said something or worse—done something to him. Thank you."

Chance kissed her back. "You're welcome, but he's the one who should be thanking me. I really can't believe how he's taken advantage of the whole situation. He antagonizes Stiles every chance he gets. I know he's sent him on trips a lower-level agent could have taken—just to get him out of town so he could have more time alone with Terri. And this conference. ..You know he should have been there. Of course, I find it funny that Terri ended up with Stiles anyway. Speaking of Terri, did she break the news to Matt yet?"

"Tomorrow after work. Knowing Matt, he won't even see it coming."

Chance smiled then started laughing. "Nope, the poor dope probably won't know what hit him."

* * *

Terri was still smiling when she got to work the next morning though she tried to hide it from Joshua. 

"Good morning Mrs. Stiles, how was the seminar?"

"It was fine Joshua." Terri greeted him with a folder full of materials she'd picked up.

"And how were your accommodations? I trust that you slept alright." Joshua tried in vain to suppress a smile.

Terri refused to bite. "Actually, there was a bit of a problem. It seems you need to work on your forgery skills—do a little more research on the confirmation codes the hotel uses. They didn't have a room reserved for me and the hotel was full."

Joshua was trying to read Terri's face to see if she was putting him on. He was sure Mr. Stiles would have come to the rescue. Looking at Terri's face he wasn't so sure.

"So, where did you stay?"

"I…"

Before Terri could answer, there was a knock at the door. She turned to see Matt standing there.

"Mr. Callan, what can I do for you this morning?"

"I have a few things I need you to work on. They're priority status for a trip tomorrow. I would like them handled by you personally. Can you meet in my office in an hour?"

Joshua checked his schedule then assured Matt he would be there.

"Welcome back Terri."

"Thanks."

Matt smiled. "You're welcome. Joshua, see you in an hour."

Matt walked out and Terri followed him.

"Matt wait. Do you think you could stop by after work?"

"Uh, sure. It may be a little late, but you know I'd love to."

"Good, just let me know when you're on your way."

Matt smiled. And kissed her on the cheek while no one was looking. He smiled all the way to his office. 'Ha, even after Joshua's little stunt she still wants me!

Later that afternoon, Joshua finally got Terri to tell him what happened in Chicago—although with much less detail than she provided Bailey. He was quite pleased with himself.

Terri had a hard time concentrating all day. Her mind wandered back and forth between her evening with Stiles and the evening she was going to have with Matt. The only thing that kept her mind focused was a phone call and side trip to the Social Security Office; she thought it was about time she made the Mrs. Stiles official.

"How's my girl?" Matt wasn't even in the house before he had his hands all over Terri.

"Matt, stop okay." He stopped but with a frown.

"It was going to be so late I ordered take out. I hope that's okay." Actually, she didn't care if he thought it was okay, but she wanted to start of the evening on a good note.

"Anything is fine. I just love spending time with you. Terri, I've been thinking about last weekend, about what happened at my parents' party."

"It's fine Matt, it's over."

"No, it's not fine. I was wrong and I'm sorry. Terri, I love you and I'll wait until you're ready--whenever that is."

Terri smiled but didn't say anything. This was going to be difficult.

Dinner was awkward. She felt guilty when Stiles called and she didn't answer the phone. After the way he reacted when she told him she hadn't broken up with Matt, she knew he wouldn't be happy if he found out Matt was there, even if he knew the reason.

Her refusal to answer the phone, combined with her nervousness, gave Matt an entirely different impression of where the evening was headed. He actually got excited when she suggested they finish eating in the living room. Terri planned to tell Matt about Stiles after diner, but halfway through, she realized that she wanted him out of her house and out of her life as soon as possible. On their way out of the dining room, Matt put his arms around Terri's waist and pulled her to him for a kiss. She was proud of herself for pushing him back without responding; she was happy that she didn't want to.

"Matt, I really want to talk, just talk. A lot has happened the past couple of weeks."

"Yes it has, we've barely seen each other. I hope you're going to tell me that's about to change."

Terri was fidgeting, looking away from Matt, when she started talking again. "Matt, you've given me a lot of support since I came back to work. You've been my friend…"

"I think we've been more than just friends."

"I know, but that has to change."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm still married Matt. I shouldn't have a husband and a boyfriend."

"Yeah, I know. I thought you were going to take care of that."

"I've decided to stay married to Stiles; I'm not going to divorce him."

"What?" Matt was angry. "I can't believe you! You told me you were going to divorce him if you didn't remember anything. Did you suddenly get your memory back, and feel guilty? Because you shouldn't feel guilty."

"No, I still don't remember most of the last three years; I may never remember, but that's not really the point. After everything that's happened, I just think it's best we not see each other at all outside of work."

"What happened while you were in Chicago? Did he say something? He threatened you, didn't he?"

"Of course not! This is not about anything Stiles said or did. This is my decision. Please try to understand."

"You've been leading me on all this time! I've been dating you—and yes Terri, that's what we've been doing. We've been dating all this time you leading me to believe it was going somewhere. 'Matt, I can't sleep with you now, but we will just be patient.' You don't even remember him! Divorce him already and we can be together like we're supposed to be. I never understood what you saw in him in the first place. He's an overconfident, arrogant, jerk. He's a Marine, for crying out loud. What's he doing in the CIA? As far as I can tell, he's another one of Quinn's mistakes! We would have been married by now if not for him."


	39. Not Without a Fight

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Previously…**

"You've been leading me on all this time! I've been dating you—and yes Terri, that's what we've been doing. We've been dating all this time you leading me to believe it was going somewhere. 'Matt, I can't sleep with you now, but we will just be patient. You don't even remember him! Divorce him already and we can be together like we're supposed to be. I never understood what you saw in him. He's an overconfident, arrogant, jerk. He's a Marine, for crying out loud. What's he doing in the CIA? As far as I can tell, he's another one of Quinn's mistakes! We would have been married by now if not for him."

**Part 38: Not Without a Fight**

Terri slapped Matt as hard as she could. "That's enough! He's a good agent and you know it! You also know he has nothing to do with our not being together. How could we have been married by now? You never asked me out. If you were so interested, you would have told me, and you certainly wouldn't have let me think you were dead for nearly a year; for months I blamed myself for what I thought happened to you."

Matt just stood there dumbly holding his sore cheek while Terri told him off.

"This isn't about Stiles, Matt. It's about me finally getting my head out of the sand. He stood by all this time watching us together. He gave me the space I needed to figure out what I wanted while you were trying to get me in bed every five minutes. I can't believe it took me so long to figure it out! That stunt you pulled at your parent's anniversary party was the last straw. For some reason I kept hoping you weren't the man Stiles kept telling me you were, but you kept on proving him right! It's been almost a year since the crash and I am his wife yet he never pressured me to have sex—not once. Not even after we were under the same roof!

I chose him when you came back the first time and I choose him now. I love my husband and if I have to, I will spend the rest of my life trying to make up for the time I wasted with you when I should have been with him! I wanted to end this amicably, but right now all I want is for you to get out of my house!"

Matt glared at Terri as he picked up his jacket and turned toward the door. "Fine Terri, you two deserve each other. But don't think this is over. Not by a long-shot!"

Terri walked to the door and opened it while Matt put on his jacket. She'd opened it just enough to get her hand on the frame when the wind pulled it the rest of the way open. Matt sauntered over to her and when he reached the door, he grabbed her arm. Before she knew what hit her, Matt pulled Terri to him and kissed her. She pushed and fought to get him off her, but he was holding her too tightly; he didn't let her go until his breathing became labored. When he did, Terri shoved him backwards onto the porch. "Get out! And don't you ever touch me again."

"I just want you to remember exactly what you're giving up." As he turned toward the walk he looked over his shoulder and spat, "Mrs. Stiles" with all the contempt he had.

Terri slammed the door and sat down on the couch. She wasn't at all sad, not like she thought she would be; Matt actually made it easy for her. She never expected him to behave that way. She thought he would be upset, but not like this. Too bad she hadn't seen his true colors sooner; she hadn't realized that Matt wanted to get back at Stiles as much and maybe more than he wanted to be with her.

While she wasn't sad, she was angry at herself for cheating on her husband. She hadn't slept with Matt, but she had been unfaithful nonetheless. Although she couldn't remember being in love with and marrying Stiles, she knew they were married. She knew he could get hurt.

Just as Terri picked up the phone to call Stiles, her doorbell rang. Matt was on the porch ringing the bell and pounding on the door.

Terri threw open the door. "What?"

"Can I come back in?"

"Are you insane? No!"

"Terri," he pointed up at the darkened sky, "The siren."

Terri looked out at the torrential downpour. She wanted to slam the door inMatt's face, but she when she heard the wailing weather siren she didn't. Instead, she left the door open and turned on her TV. There were severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado watches until early the next morning. The weatherman said not to go anywhere if not necessary. Besides the other obvious threats, there were flooded roads everywhere.

"Terri! Can I come in? I can't drive home in this, I could get killed."

Would that be so horrible? Was her first thought.

"Let me stay tonight."

"No" was all she said as she started pushing the door shut.

Matt caught the door with his foot just before it closed. "Come on Terri, you heard what the man said, it's too dangerous for me to drive home."

Terri just stared at the man standing in from of her looking like a drowned rat. She wanted to shove him back outside and wish for lightening to strike, but she couldn't. She didn't want to have to explain to Bailey, Liz and Carson how she let him get swept up in a tornado so she moved and let him in. "You can sleep on the couch."

"I knew you would come to your senses." Matt threw out as he winked at her.

Terri turned around and put her finger in his face. "Don't speak to me the rest of the evening. Don't leave the first floor. And be gone when I get up in the morning. I'll bring you a towel and a blanket."

When Terri came back with the blanket and towels, Matt grinned at her again. Even after everything she'd said, Matt had to push one more time. "What, are you afraid you won't be able to keep your hands off me?" He smiled as he said it and watched her expression. He was enjoying this. Terri wasn't amused.

She didn't bother to respond to his last remark.She went back upstairs and slammed her bedroom door. Although she and Stiles were staying together, she wanted to wait for him before she slept in their bedroom again. She couldn't believe Matt was downstairs on her couch. She didn't want him anywhere near her. She wanted Stiles.

Terri listened to the last message on her machine. She smiled as she listened to Stiles' voice.

"Hey beautiful. I just wanted to say goodnight, I guess you're still at work. If I know Joshua, he's keeping you busy to make up for your little vacation yesterday. Call me when you get in, whatever time it is. I love you. Talk to you later."

Terri picked up the phone to call him and heard a busy signal. Great, the phone lines are down. She reached for her cell phone then realized it was downstairs. When she saw that Matt was still awake she went back to her room and got ready for bed. She decided to wait him out; she hoped Stiles would understand if she woke him when she called back later.

Stiles looked at the clock-it was past midnight. Terri didn't usually work that late; he wondered if she'd gotten his message. He dialed their number and waited; all he got was a busy signal so he tried her cell phone.

Matt heard the phone and thinking it was his, reached for it. As soon as he picked it up, he knew it was Terri's but he looked at the caller ID anyway: Stiles. Matt wanted to answer it and tell Stiles he was spending the night with his wife. The only thing that stopped him was the last ring. He was again all smiles when he heard the voicemail signal.

Matt rolled his eyes as he listened to Stiles go on about how worried he was about Terri not answering the phone. Then, with the touch of a button, Stiles' message disappeared. With another touch, so did his name and phone number in her call log.


	40. Smoke and Mirrors

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 39: Smoke and Mirrors**

Stiles was on his way to hail a cab when he saw Chance. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I'm picking you up." Chance answered with a "duh" tone in his voice.

"Yeah, I see." Stiles eyed his friend suspiciously."What's going on? that I get picked up by the deputy DCI? What next, an escort to the White House?"

"No, Iraq. We need you in there A.S.A.P."

"Things are that bad?"

"Not that bad, the timing is just right. They were going to call you and have you come straight to Langley, but I heard about your little visit from Terri the other night so I'm taking you home first. We don't have a large window here, but I know you need to do this."

"Thanks."

Chance smiled. It was about time his friend was happy. They rode in silence for a while until Chance started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing."

Stiles was intrigued. "Come on. You start laughing out of nowhere and it's nothing?"

Chance tried to stop, but couldn't. It got worse when he finally decided to let Stiles in on what he found so funny. "Eleven months, two days and what was it, three hours and 12 minutes?"

Stilessighed. Terri had obviously told Bailey about their conversationand Bailey had told Chance who was now laughing at him. "No wonder she didn't answer the phone when I called last night. This is all a joke to her; I bet she and Bailey got a good laugh too, didn't they?"

Chance felt bad and tried to fix things. "Hey, no I'm sorry. That's not it at all. I mean, yeah she told Bailey, but from what Bailey said, Terri's happy. She probably didn't answer the phone because of the storm last night. Phone and power lines are out all over the area."

Stiles felt some relief when Chance told him about the phones. Maybe she wasn't avoiding him.

"Anyway, she said she…" Chance was about to mention Terri's breakup with Matt, but he wasn't sure if she'd actually done it so he stopped.

"She said what?"

Then he had to cover himself. "She said you two were staying together and that things were good. II think she feelsbad about what's happened. Ireally don't think it's a joke to her, not at all."

"But it is to you?"

"Stiles no. Come on man, you know how I feel about the whole thing. I've thought you two should be together from the beginning."

"She hasn't broken up with Callan."

"What?" Chance tried to act surprised.

"We're in bed talking about the future and she brings him up, says he's been pressuring her to sleep with him for months. I asked her to stay away from him—at least until I got back. Turns out, she needs to see him to tell him about us—like she couldn't have done it before now! We'd pretty much worked things out before I left. I just want this whole thing over with. I want my old life back."

Chance reached over and patted Stiles on the shoulder. Oh how he wanted to tell him they broke up. "I'm sure things will work out. You've been through too much for them not to. Talk to her—that's why I'm bringing you home." Chance made a gesture for Stiles to look up.

Stiles looked up and smiled; they were sitting in front of his house. "Thanks Chance."

"It's the least I could do. We need you ready to go in two hours and we have a few things to go over at the office before you leave. I know it isn't much time, but I thought you would want to see her. Now get out and go kiss your wife."

"I'll be back."

Chance wiped his brow as Stiles practically jumped from the car.He was ready for things to get back to normal too.

Stiles walked in the house and called for Terri. When she didn't answer, he looked at his watch and thought she may be in the shower. He smiled at the possibility of surprising her there. He bounded up the stairs two at a time. His first stop was their bedroom. It was obviously empty so he went to hers. The door was closed so he knocked softly as he walked in.

"What the …what are you doing here?" Stiles walked in to see not Terri, but Matt sitting on her bed.

Matt was drying himself when Stiles walked in. He smiled when he realized he was sitting there, on Terri's bed with nothing covering him but the edge of a towel. He could see the rage radiating from Stiles' body.

"I just got out of the shower. What are you doing here? You're supposed to be on your way to Langley."

Stiles looked down and saw Terri's robe lying on the bed next to Matt. He walked over to the bed, causing Matt to flinch. Stiles wasn't concentrating on Matt at that moment, he was looking at the robe. He picked it up and confirmed his suspicions. It was the same robe and gown that Terri had been wearing two nights earlier when she stayed with him.

"Pretty isn't it? Though it's much prettier when she's wearing it."

Stiles looked up at Matt, and punched him without thinking.He was too angry and hurt. All he could think about was his unanswered phone calls the previous evening. Terri's words echoed in his head, _"…I haven't had time…I have everything under control…He keeps trying…I almost let him…"_

She'd almost slept with him before and it looked like this time it wasn't almost. She slept with his boss in his house after she had also slept with him, after she'd sat there and told him she loved him. Chance was wrong, this was a joke to her and he was the fool—but not anymore. Stiles pulled up from the bed, where he'd flopped after being hit. When he realized that Matt was naked, he let him go and threw a towel at him. "Where is she?"

Matt quickly stood and tied the towel around his waist before Stiles could come after him again. "Gone to the office. She had some last minute work to do—you're going to Iraq you know. It's a dangerous place right now so we've got to make sure our bases are covered. We wouldn't want anything to happen to you. Rest assured that I'll be here to look after Terri if anything goes wrong, just like she took care of me last night."

"You…Stiles took the gown and threw it in Matt's face. He had his fist drawn, ready to hit Matt again when his cell phone rang. Matt used Stiles' distraction to grab his clothes and slip back into the safety of the bathroom.

"What?" Stiles barked into the phone, without looking to see who it was.

"Sorry, but we need to go."

Without turning around, Stiles grabbed his bag and went downstairs. He would deal with Matt when he came home. As for Terri, he would make sure he dealt with her immediately.

Stiles slammed the door when he got in. Chance looked up, startled.

"I know that wasn't long, but at least this time you know she'll be waiting for you when you get back."

Stiles grunted in acknowledgement and mumbled, "Maybe we'll all be better off if I don't come back." Chance was confused. Stiles walked in the house eager to see his wife, he came out angry mumbling something about not coming back.

"What are you mumbling about? Terri isn't mad at me for making you leave so soon, is she?"

Stiles huffed. "She's not even here, she already left."

"Oh, man I'm sorry, Joshua probably had her come in early; she's doing some of the background stuff for your cover. I'm sure you can catch her before you leave. She may even be able to go out to the airstrip." Considering Stiles' demeanor, Chance didn't dare ask why he'd been in the house so long if Terri wasn't there.

Stiles didn't say anything else until they reached Langley; he was trying to come up with a reasonable explanation for why Matt was sitting on his wife's bed naked. He wanted to give Terri the benefit of the doubt; he wanted to wait until he had talked to her, but it was hard. Stiles just didn't want to believe she was lying to him when she said she loved him, but all hecould think about was Chance laughing earlier. His mind kept replaying Terri's words, _"He keeps trying…I almost let him…"_


	41. Conspiracy?

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 40: Conspiracy**

Stiles wanted to see Terri as soon as they got to the office, but Chance ushered him to a meeting room. The first person he saw when he got there was Matt. _How did he beat us here?_

Matt looked at him as though it was the first time they'd seen each other that morning. Joshua walked in right after Stiles and Carl soon followed. Once everyone was seated, Matt began the meeting. He outlined the objectives for Stiles, gave highlights of the evidenceand of the analysts' reports. He was thorough and to the unsuspecting, Matt looked every bit the professional he was supposed to be.

Stiles heard every word, but it was obvious to Carl that he was distracted.

"Stiles, I don't think I need to remind you what's at stake here. We need to get in and get out undetected and as quickly as possible. You seem distracted, is there a problem?"

"No sir, I'm ready to go."

Chance felt the need to speak up. He knew whatever was eating at Stiles had to do with Terri. He wanted him to know he understood, but work had to come first. He also wanted him to know it was Matt's call. "Stiles, I know you're disappointed that we're sending you deep undercover now—after you've just returned, but due to Mr. Callan's work we've discovered that now is the best time to act."

"I understand. Are we finished here?'

Matt looked at his watch.

"I think so. Does anyone else have anything?"

The other men shook their heads no. Stiles stood up and walked to the door. "I'll head to OTS for my documents."

While the men were in meetings, Terri and Bailey sat in a drab conference room in the Homeland Security offices. Since Matt was going to be busy all morning, he requested that his favorite analyst and his favorite member of the art department/IRT member attend the security briefing; they could brief everyone on Iraq as well as he could at this point.

Terri was furious that she was still sitting in a meeting three hours later. She was hungry and more importantly, she wanted to call Stiles. Based on the little information Joshua would give her, she determined that Stiles was going to Iraq as soon as he came home, more than likely early in the morning. She knew he would be back from Chicago that evening.

When they finally got a break, Bailey asked the question she had been dying to ask all morning. "So, how did it go with Matt last night? Did you break up with him?"

Terri nodded yes and kept eating. Bailey wasn't about to let it go that easily.

"That's it? Come on Terri, what happened?"

"Bailey, he's your brother and I know you love him. With that in mind, I don't think we should talk about it."

"He took it that badly, huh?"

"All I will say is that it wasn't pretty and I don't think there's any hope for us remaining friends."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." If he weren't Bailey's brother Terri would have added, '_I'm not.'_

Bailey knew Terri wasn't going to say anymore so she let it go; she would just have to talk to Matt. Besides, she was sure that when things calmed down, Terri would tell her what happened.

"Okay, since you won't tell me what happened with Matt tell me how happy Stiles was when you told him."

"I haven't told him yet. I haven't had a chance. He called last night, but I didn't answer since Matt was still there. When I tried to call him back the phones were out. He'll be home tonight so we can talk then."

"Do you have something special planned?'

Terri laughed. "Actually, I haven't thought about it. Now that you mention it, I will have to cook something for him. He's always happy—and shocked-when I cook for him." Terri and Bailey laughed.

"Chance is the same way. He actually cooks more than I do."

"Bay, I know I love him, but I still don't remember that much about him. The only thing I know he really likes is Chicken Parmesan and I've already cooked that for him—twice. Any ideas?"

* * *

Stiles got to OTS in record time. It didn't take him long to see that Terri wasn't there. Lex knew she was out of the building, but he didn't know where or why. Joshua got back to OTS just as Stiles was walking out. 

"Joshua, where is she?"

"Welcome back Mr. Stiles. She isn't here."

"Come on Joshua, I can see that. Where is she?"

Joshua could now hear the urgency in Stiles' voice. "Mr. Callan asked her and Mrs. Chancellor to take care of something at the Homeland Security Office this morning. Is there something I can help you with?"

Stiles banged his fist on the doorframe and growled. "She's avoiding me." _The two of them set me up._

"Mr. Stiles, I'm sure I don't know what you are talking about. She told me that the two of you had a, shall we say, meeting of the minds in Chicago. I find it highly unlikely that she would be avoiding you even if she had a choice about her current project. Or did I miss something?"

"Forget it Joshua."

As soon as Stiles left, Joshua picked up the phone. He didn't know what was going on with Teri and Stiles now, but he thought she should know Stiles was looking for her. "Mrs. Stiles please."

Stiles turned around and ran into Chance. "This is really funny Chance. Was that the plan, to keep me from seeing Terri? First, you stop by the house knowing she was at work and then you let me run down here after Matt sent her out of the building. What, did you need more for all of you to laugh about while I'm gone?"

Chance was back to being confused. "Stiles, that's ridiculous, you know that. I took you home to see Terri remember? I didn't know she'd left and I didn't know Matt sent her anywhere. There is no conspiracy, just bad timing."

Stiles looked at Chance and growled in frustration again.

Chance looked at his watch. "Look, I'm sorry. I know you wanted to see her but we're out of time. We need to get you out of here; the rest of the team is waiting."

Stiles pushed past Chance out of OTS. "Whatever. The faster I leave the faster I can leave this mess behind. How could I have been so stupid?"

* * *

"Terri, it's Joshua. I need you here. Can you get away? Is there any way Mrs. Chancellor can finish by herself?" 

"I don't know Joshua. What's going on?"

"Something to do with a big project Mr. Callan and Mr. Chancellor are working on. Find out if you can get away, this is important." Joshua didn't want to tell her about Stiles, he was already more involved than he thought he should be.


	42. Saved by the Bell

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 41: Saved by the ****Bell**

Joshua came out of his office in time to see a bewildered Chance standing by the door. "Where did he go?"

"I don't know. He accused me of keeping him away from Terri and having a good laugh at his expense. I don't know what's going on with him. Did he say anything to you?"

"No, I just told him Terri is out of the building working on something for Matt. Oh, Mr. Callan and Mr. Stiles aren't the best of friends, are they?"

Chance laughed. "That's an understatement. Yeah, Stiles is leaving the country, he hasn't seen Terri and now probably isn't going to and Matt's behind the trip and her project. No wonder he's in such a foul mood."

Joshua looked at Chance with his usual "ah-ha" expression as Chance left to catch up with Stiles.

"Stiles wait!" Chance caught up with his friend and grabbed his arm just as the elevator doors opened. "Talk to me, what's going on? What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing's the matter with me. Let's go, you said they're waiting."

"Look, I know you're upset that you're going to miss Terri, but is there something else going on? This is one of the most important missions we've done since September 11. We're sending you because you're the best we have. I need you focused on the job at hand if we're going to shut down Al-Quaida and get you back here in one piece."

"I don't really care if I get back here in one piece, or at all for that matter. No one else does either. Maybe someone over there will put me out of my misery."

Chance just looked at Stiles. He couldn't figure out what was going on with him. During the seven months he had been back in the field, Stiles had not let his personal life interfere with a mission—not once. Now, things were supposedly going well at home and he was acting as if Terri had filed for divorce and his life was over.

Chance took a deep breath. "I don't know where this is coming from. You know we care if you come back. Well, maybe Matt doesn't, but…"

Stiles rolled his eyes and looked away. "Okay, that was a stupid comment, but look, we care. I certainly care and you know Terri cares." Chance gave up when he realized Stiles was still standing there with his arms tightly folded across his chest.

"Stiles, I don't know what else to say nor do I have time to guess what's going on. Please just tell me what the problem is!"

"None of your business okay. Everything is just fine. Let's go!"

Chance shook his head. "No." It was time for the plane to take off and his number one operative was standing in the hall telling him he didn't care if he came home. "I can't let you go. Not like this."

"What are you talking about, you can't let me go? What are you my father now?"

"If you don't want to talk, fine, but I can't have you screwing this up because of some issue you have at home or in your head or whatever the problem is; there's too much at stake." Chance paused and took a breath to calm himself. He put his hand on his friend's shoulder as he finished. "If I could get Terri here I would, but that isn't possible and I don't know how else to help."

Stiles jerked away from Chance and glared at him before walking away. _Yeah right you care—about this mission, about keeping your little twerp of a brother-in-law happy._

Chance was growing more frustrated just watching the obstinate man standing next to him turn his back and walk in the opposite direction. He had to jog to catch up with him.

"Stop, stay here; I need to talk to Matt. I can't send you like this; not until you're willing to talk."

Stiles gave Chance a half laugh and smirked. "Don't bother. He'll tell you to let me go; he wants me out of the way anyway. He's probably already arranged my ambush." Stiles huffed and gave Chance the once over. "You're probably in on it too."

Fortunately for Stiles, Chance's phone rang. "What!" Chance baked into his phone.

"Where's Stiles, we need to go now!"

Chance lowered his voice when he heard Matt. "He's right here, but listen," Chance continued as he wiped imaginary sweat beads from his brow. "I don't think he needs to go right now. Something's going on with him and I…"

"Chance I don't care what his problem is, we have a narrow window to get in there and wipe them out. Tell him to get over whatever it is and get to the van."

Against his better judgment, Chance did just that. Ten minutes later, Stiles was on his way to the airstrip headed to Iraq.

Terri walked into OTS and went straight to Joshua's office. "Joshua, what was so important that you had me rush over here?"

"Mr. Stiles."

"What about him?"

"He's on his way to Iraq."

"He's here? He wasn't supposed to be home until."

"The mission was moved up; I thought you would want to see him before he left."

Terri hugged him tightly as she smiled. "Thank you Joshua."

"Don't thank me. He left 10 minutes ago."

Terri sighed then sat down. "He's gone? Joshua, do we have any idea when he'll be back? Why didn't anyone tell me he was going today?

"I don't know when he'll be back. We're using the new transponder on him for this trip, so I imagine he may be gone a little while. As far as why you weren't told, you'll have to talk to Mr. Callan about that; he's running this one. Yesterday he told us Mr. Stiles would be coming home today. That's why you were at HLS this morning, to free up Mr. Callan. I didn't realize how early he was leaving."

Terri shook her head back and forth processing the two things Joshua had just told her. "I can't believe Matt. I could just choke him! He knew Stiles was going and he purposely kept it from me." She added, more to herself, "He didn't want me to see him. He sent me out of the office his morning on purpose."

"Did you say something Mrs. Stiles?"

"Yeah, why did it take me so long to see him for what he is?"

"I don't know." Joshua answered in his usual stoic tone.


	43. Not By a Long Shot

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 42: Not by a Long Shot **

"I'm going upstairs to see if I can find Matt or Chance and find out what's going on. Then I guess I better get back to Homeland Security."

Terri ran into Chance first. "Chance, Joshua just told me Stiles is gone to Iraq. Why didn't anyone tell me he was assigned? I didn't even get to say goodbye."

"Terri, I'm sorry, I had no idea you didn't knowuntil a little while ago.I brought him to the house this morning after I picked him up from the airport, but you were gone." A fleeting thought ran through Terri's mind, _What would have happened if Matt had still been there?_ She shuddered visibly at the thought.

"Are you okay?"

"What?"

"You looked like you were shivering for a second."

"Yeah, I'm fine, it was nothing."

"Okay. Anyway, when we finished briefing him, he came to OTS and Joshua told us you were at Homeland Security. We waited as long as we could. Things happened faster than we thought so we had to move in sooner. I'm sorry you missed each other."

"It's not your fault Chance. I just wish I could have talked to him. I missed his call last night then I couldn't call him back because of the storm. Do you know where Matt is?"

"In his office I think."

"Okay, thanks."

Terri walked into Matt's office unannounced. "You knew he was leaving before you came over last night. You purposely kept me away from him this morning, didn't you?"

"That information was need to know and I didn't think you needed to know."

"You smug…"

Before she could finish, Terri heard someone clearing his throat. She turned around to see Carl standing in the doorway. "Excuse me, Matt I need to see you in my office."

"I'm on my way."

Carl stuck his head back in before Terri started again. "Oh Terri, I've been meaning to ask you how things are going with the amnesia. Anything new?"

Terri smiled in Matt's direction. "Unfortunately, I still don't remember, but Stiles and I are doing much better. In fact our first anniversary is in a couple of weeks."

"Congratulations. Mr. Callan and I will do our best to get him home by then."

"Thank you Carl."

Terri pointed at Matt on her way out, "We're not done; we'll finish this later."

Matt smiled and walked toward her. "Terri there's nothing to finish. Stiles is on his way to Iraq to infiltrate Al Mosquaad's group. If he pulls this off, and I emphasize if, I may believe he's fit to be in the CIA after all."

Terri raised her hand to hit him, but Matt was ready for her and caught her arm. "I let that go last night, but don't push your luck sweetheart. We're in the office and hitting a senior staff member is grounds for termination. You got what you wanted; I'm out of your personal life, but like I told you last night Terri, this isn't over by a long shot."

Matt let go of her arm, straightened his jacket, and left her standing in the middle of his office. She stood there for a minute shaking her head. She couldn't believe how different Matt was from what she remembered. Apparently, she hadn't known him as well as she had thought. Even worse, she couldn't believe how much time she had wasted with him just the previous evening. He was so bent on hurting Stiles and now her that he'd kept them apart on purpose, not only that, he'd planned at least some of it before he knew she was dumping him.

* * *

When Chance finally saw Bailey, he told her what he knew: Stiles was upset about something and Terri was upset with Matt. "I thought things were going great; isn't that what you told me? He seemed happy when he got in the car then I…"

"Then you what?"

"Bailey I messed up. I said something about how long it had been since they had been together you know in the bedroom."

Bailey was afraid to ask what happened. She could tell by the look on Chance's face it wasn't good. "And?"

"I laughed." He began talking faster when he saw the look on her face. "I wasn't laughing at him, really; it was funny that he knew down to the minute. I didn't realize…"

"Chance, how could you not realize? What did he say?"

"He got defensive. He knew I heard it from you and that Terri told you. He said the three of us must have gotten a good laugh at him. Then he said Terri must think their relationship, or maybe he meant his misery, was a joke."

Bailey couldn't believe he could do something so dumb. "I can't believe you laughed at him! Chance, he's been hoping for months that she would stop seeing Matt."

"She did, didn't she? What's that got to do with it anyway?"

Bailey looked up at her poor, clueless husband and sighed. "Honey, she hadn't broken up with Mattwhen she left Chicago and Stilesknew it. I'm sure he was worried that she may still change her mind. She broke up with Matt last night, but Stiles doesn't know that. All he knows is that he couldn't reach her last night , you're laughing at him in the car and Terri wasn't around this morning because she was working on something for Matt. Of course he's upset! He's your best friend, Chance."

"I know."

"There's more, isn't there?"

Chance shook his head. "I told him we needed him focused if we were going to accomplish the mission and get him back in one piece. He said it didn't matter, that no one would care if he came back.

"You're telling me he's walking into the middle of terrorist central thinking no one cares about him? You know how he is Chance. If he thinks Terri was making fun of him he probably thinks that she doesn't really love him either. He probably thinks you and I are part of some grand practical joke against him. I can't believe you let him go thinking that. You have to do something. Have Terri call him or something."

"I can't"

"Why can't you?"

"We're keeping this very under wraps so Matt has him dark until he finds out something."

"Oh Chance; you better hope they're okay and more importantly you better pray that he does get back in one piece. Terri will never forgive you if something happens to him. I won't forgive you if something happens to _them."_


	44. Missing Parts and Malfunctions

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 43: Missing Parts and Malfunctions**

Terri hated that she missed Stiles; she thought she would have at least one night with him before he had to go anywhere. She had no idea how long he would be gone and she was finally ready to begin her life with him.

That first evening she put on one of his pajama shirts and climbed in bed. She made herself comfortable in the middle of his bed. Lying on her stomach, feet in the air, she pulled out his journal and reread the pages Bailey had marked for her; every one of them said how much he loved her and wanted them to be happy together again. Her favorite entry was the last one he wrote. It was the morning after the Callan's anniversary party, the morning before he left for Chicago.

"…_You were irresistible even in cotton pajamas. When we kissed I…it's been so long. I wanted to make love to you so badly. I thought I'd pushed too hard when I tried to get you to stay with me. I was kicking myself for trying to figure out how to make things right and then…you came back. You made my day. I haven't slept that well in months. Holding you in my arms was, I can't describe how incredible that felt; I've missed that more than anything—having you near me. I didn't want to let you go._

_I don't want to leave you…_

_The only thing that would have made the night better, perfect in fact is if you would have told Callan to get lost—for good. I just wish I could tell him about last night, how I held you while he was home alone."_

Meanwhile, Stiles was sitting in his room. He got to Iraq and got established without incident. He tried to focus on the mission, but every so often, his thoughts wandered to Terri.

I_ am such a fool, how could I not see what was going on? She doesn't remember me—she remembers him. They have a history that she knows. She remembers me as that jerk who doubted her abilities._

_Yeah, but she let me hold her, she let me make love to her. She told me she loves me. She said she was going to dump him. Ugh! How could I believe that? I should have known she wasn't going to do it when she hadn't broken up with him when she came to Chicago. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why couldn't she just remember? Why did we have to take that flight home from Ireland? Why has my life fallen apart?_

Terri smiled as she fell asleep whispering to him, "I did it Stiles, I finally told him to get lost. Now it's just you and me. I can't wait for you to come home. I love you."

The next few days were uneventful. Terri wanted to ask how things were going with Stiles, but Matt was running the mission and she had no interest in talking to him. By the end of the first week, she couldn't take it anymore and went to Chance.

"Hey Terri, come on in."

"Have you heard from him?"

"Yep. He's made contact. Things are looking good. If things continue the way they are, we should be able to get him out of there in a week or less."

"In time for our anniversary?" Terri asked hopefully.

"I'm doing my best."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'll let you know when it's getting close; we'll bring you guys in at that point."

"You know where to find me."

Chance was happy when Terri left. Although everything he told her was true, things weren't going as smoothly as they'd hoped. In his haste to get Stiles on a plane, Matt had missed a couple of things with pre-mission preparations, one of which was an updated map. Stiles reported that every other road they took was rerouted, damaged, or just plain gone. In Chance's estimation, if Stiles had what he needed, they would be moving in already.

* * *

Stiles was in contact with the suspects and things were proceeding as planned. Lex was able to talk to Stiles through the new transponder and Stiles was able to reply. Then, out of the blue things changed. 

"He's gone!" Lex yelled to whomever cared to know.

Chance looked up from his post. "What do you mean, he's gone? What's going on out there?" There was a long pause with no response. "Come ox Les, there's a lot at stake here!"

Lex flinched. "I lost contact."

"Lost contact, how? Joshua, I thought you said this thing was full proof, that as long as the transmitter was implanted and the wearer was conscious we would…" Carl stopped and looked at Joshua when he realized what he had just said, "conscious."

"Lex?" It was more of a statement than a question. Chance wanted desperately for his colleague to tell him that his best friend was still on the other end of the "line," that he was just hiding, being quiet to avoid detection.

"I'm sorry; I don't hear anything."

Chance got in Lex's face. "Well what _did_ you hear before we lost contact? Was there anything that we can use?"

Lex hesitated as the entire team and the director looked at him. "He may have been in trouble. It sounded like they were arguing about something."

"What did he say? Did someone come in? Talk to me Lex!" For the first time in a long time, Chance was nervous. He could see the look of fear on Bailey's face and it nearly mirrored his own.

"I think it's the storm; the transponder is still new; the storm must be interfering somehow."

"Joshua, I would never have agreed to rely on this if I'd been told it was this vulnerable. We need eyes and ears in there." Chance stopped talking as he contemplated their next move. He glanced around the room and his eyes fell on Bailey. "We need him back." He added for her benefit.

Carl, Matt and Chance held an impromptu meeting off to the side. Chance was a professional so he took the information Lex gave him and immediately started on a backup plan. No matter what, their mission was clear: apprehend the terrorists. But his heart was racing; Stiles was his best friend and there was in a distinct possibility that he was in danger. He needed to come up with some way to find out what happened to him and get him out of there, even if he couldn't save him, he had to bring his friend home.

They decided to proceed with the plan even though they couldn't contact Stiles. "We have other agents on the ground who can contact us when necessary. I've got a Marine unit standing by." Carl informed the solemn looking group.

"We don't even know what we're dealing with! If we don't get him out of there before they go in, he's dead!"

While Chance and Matt were conferencing, a staffer handed Carl a note.

"You know we'll do everything to get him out Chance, but we can't afford to loose control here; we may never have an opportunity like this again. We're "this close" to taking out one of bin Laden's top cells. We have to move on this. I don't like it anymore than you do, but Stiles understood when he went in that he may not be coming home." Matt thought to himself, _Which suits me fine_.


	45. Thanksgiving

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1. ****Borrowed a few lines from CS Lie for This One.**

**Part 44: Thanksgiving**

Jackson, along with everyone else, looked up at Matt. They would have been appalled at his words if they hadn't known the truth in them. Stiles was in dangerous territory and he knew it; he signed on knowing he may not come back.

Chance knew there was more to it. The day after Stiles left, Chance found the map information that Stiles should have taken. Joshua was still working on the transponder and everyone knew it; they heard what they wanted to hear—that it was ready for field work.

Chance was now sure what Joshua had said was "field testing" and this was not the mission to be testing equipment. There were other little things nagging Chance all along, but he hadn't said anything. He let Stiles go on this mission knowing they weren't ready and even worse knowing Stiles didn't care if he came back. It was ultimately Matt's decision to move up the mission, but he and Carl had backed him. He sent his friend into the fire without putting up much of a fight. He shook his head and sighed. _I should have said something, I should have said something._

The second she could get away, Bailey left for OTS. she wanted Terri to hear it from her. She didn't want her to find out they'd lost contact withStiles from one of the guys.

Terri was at the door when Bailey walked in. "Hey, I was just on my way over. Anything going on?"

This was going to be much harder than Bailey imagined. For a moment, she wished her friend hadn't started falling for her husband again.

Terri's face fell. "Did something happen?"

"We don't know that anything happened. I just wanted to let you know that they may need you downstairs."

Terri had a bad feeling about the entire mission and she kept thinking how she didn't get to say goodbye. "Bay, tell me what happened. I need to know."

"I don't know. Lex just said we lost contact with him." Bailey didn't want to give Terri time to worry so she rambled on. "Carl, Chance, and Matt are working on plausible scenarios right now to regain contact."

Without another word, the two women rushed back to the command center.

Joshua, who hadn't said anything to this point, was furiously trying to figure out a solution; it was his department that screwed up and a man's life, his friend's life, could be in jeopardy. Joshua also knew it would destroy Terri if she lost Stiles now after all they had been through.

Carl handed Chance the note from the staffer without saying a word. Chance looked up andasked Carl quietly, "He's been captured"?

"That's why we're not getting anything; he's gone dark on purpose. Matt, Chance, meet me in the director's conference room in 10 minutes. Bring Terri with you."

Carl hurried off ,leaving his deputy and the Agency's liaison to Homeland Security standing in the middle of the room.

"I'll go get Terri."

"No you won't. As much as you have it in for Stiles, she doesn't need to hear this from you. I'll get her; just meet us in the conference room." Chance was halfway out the door when Matt caught his arm.

"Chance, you're right, I don't like Stiles, I never have, but contrary to what you think, I do not want him dead."

Chance pulled away from Matt and looked him in the eye. "I wonder." He turned to go out of the department and ran into Terri and Bailey.

"Hey. Terri, we need you upstairs. We have a meeting in the director's conference room."

"Chance, what's going on? Bailey said we lost contact with Stiles."

Chance didn't want to say it. "Terri, he's been captured. Carl wants to talk to us."

"Captured?"

"Yeah. We don't know much else at this point, but they're working on it. Come on, we need to go."

Terri looked at Bailey who gave her a nod of reassurance. "Okay."

* * *

Carl's secretary had Jonathan Stone meet the staff in the conference room. Carl wanted an evaluation on Stiles to see how long he would last in custody. Terri, Chance and Matt walked in to see an image of Stiles and his vital statistics projected on the wall. 

"He's arrogant, self-reliant, has a strong resistance to authority…"

Terri looked up to see a picture of Stiles with the general when he graduated from the academy. The next slide was of Stiles and her at their wedding. She closed her eyes tightly as she thought about that day. She was so happy. _Do I remember that or is it from watching the video so many times?_ She didn't even hear Carl ask the doctor how long Stiles would hold up to interrogation.

"I know he's all of those things; I've worked with the man for almost four years. What I need to know is how long we have. How long will he hold up to interrogation from a group of terrorists."

"He's married, has significant relationships with his family and he's an experienced agent. It depends on the circumstances. Under normal circumstances…"

"That's why I called you. Under normal circumstances, I would say we could count on him to hold up until we could get help in there; however, these are not normal circumstances. The people who captured him are most likely the same men who caused a plane crash he was in 12 months ago."

"Tell me about his emotional state. How was he affected by the crash? Does he know these men caused the accident?"

"No, he didn't know these are the same men when he left, but he may now. Mrs. Stiles may be able to enlighten you on how he has been affected emotionally by the crash. Terri." Carl focused on her.

Terri told the doctor about her amnesia, about how she and Stiles had lived apart for several months and how she had fallen in love with him again. She smiled a bit when she told him that they she told him she wanted to stay married and how things were great between them before he left. She looked sad again when she mentioned that they didn't get to say goodbye.

"Based on all of the information, he may last two weeks depending on complications" the doctor diverted his eyes away form Terri, "including future injuries."

Carl felt somewhat hopeful. He knew they were close; he didn't think they would need another two weeks. "Good, that leaves us some room. Two weeks is more than enough time get the information we need and get out of there." He glanced at Terri and added, "and time to work on getting him out."

Chance looked between the doctor and Carl wondering if he should say something. He finally gathered the courage just before the doctor left the room.

"Wait. There's something else I think we need to consider."


	46. Something to Consider

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Previously…**

Carl felt somewhat hopeful. He knew they were close; he didn't think they would need another two weeks. "Good, that leaves us some room. Two weeks is more than enough time get the information we need and get out of there." He glanced at Terri and added, "and time to work on getting him out."

Chance looked between the doctor and Carl wondering if he should say something. He finally gathered the courage just before the doctor left the room.

"Wait. There's something else I think we need to consider."

**Part 45: Something to Consider**

"What?"

Carl looked around the room. Chance and Terri looked at one another and Matt looked at the floor.

"He was upset when he left."

"About what?"

Chance took a deep breath and told them about his and Stiles' conversations just before he left. He had to look away from Terri when he repeated what they talked about in the car on the way to the house.

"He misinterpreted something I shared with him to mean that his wife didn't care about him, that she thinks he and their relationship are a joke."

Terri desperately wanted to ask, 'What information?' but stopped herself.

"And…"

"There's more?" Carl had a feeling that he didn't want to hear this.

"He told me it didn't matter if he came back because no one cares about him anyway."

Carl was right, he didn't want to hear it. "He told you this when?"

"Before he left. I assured him that wasn't the case, of course. We went to OTS so he could talk to Terri, but she was out of the office."

Carl was furious. "Chance, how bad was he when he left? Did you convince him someone cares?"

"I don't know. We were in a hurry; Matt called and told us they were ready at the terminal."

"Great, we've got a captured agent who had no business leaving the building."

Matt couldn't take it anymore. He had to say something. "Sir, I'm sure he's fine. He could have recused himself from the mission if he felt he wasn't ready."

Carl looked at Matt as though he had suddenly grown horns.

Terri couldn't take anymore either. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "He doesn't sound fine, Matt! Chance, what happened? When I left him in Chicago he WAS fine. Why would he think I don't care?" _I should have figured out a way to call him back. He thinks I don't care about him. After all we've gone through he's out there alone thinking I don't love him._

Carl sighed. He'd heard enough. "Terri, Matt, we'll discuss this later. Doctor, a revised estimate please."

"He may last three days, again depending on any injuries and your ability to communicate with him."

"Three days?" Carl really didn't like what he was hearing. This changed everything.

"I'm sorry sir, but even an agent with as strong a personality as Mr. Stiles has to want to maintain his cover; he has to want to survive. Without his history, I doubt he would last that long."

"Thank you doctor."

As soon as the doctor left, Terri went after the three men in the room. "Why didn't anyone tell me how upset he was?" Turning to Matt, she added, "How dare you! I had no idea you could stoop that low. Do you realize that he may die because of you?"

"Terri!"

Terri stopped yelling at Matt and turned to Carl. "We need to get back downstairs, we have work to do. All of this can wait. I expect your full attention on the matters at hand. We have terrorists to catch. Is that clear?"

In unison, the three agents answered, "Yes sir."

"Good. Terri, I want you standing by, depending on what we find out, we may need you to talk to him."

Terri nodded solemnly and followed the men out of the room. The four of them walked back to the command center in silence. Chance caught Terri as they entered the room.

"Terri, I'm sorry…I had no idea he would react the way he did." Chance hesitated.

"What happened?"

"I laughed at him."

"What?"

"On the way to your house from the airport I laughed. Bailey told me what happened in Chicago."

"Everything?"

"Yeah, I think so. I thought about what he said to you when you were, you know…" Terri looked at him; she had no idea what he was talking about. Chance finished the rest under his breath. "Eleven months, two days…"

Terri gasped. "Bailey told you?"

Chance nodded.

"And you laughed? Chance how could you?"

"Terri, I'm sorry. I didn't know he would take it so hard."

"I can't believe this. He thinks I was laughing at him. He probably thinks I was planning to stay with Matt the whole time. Chance I didn't get a chance to tell him I ended it with Matt."

"I know. Terri I'm sorry, really." Chance patted her on the shoulder and made his way to the other side of the room. He needed to walk away from her; he already felt guilty enough.

"The tooth transmitter!" Joshua yelled to no one in particular. Terri and everyone else in the room turned to look at him. "Does anyone know if Mr. Stiles ever had it removed?" Oh how Joshua wished Terri could remember that Thanksgiving.

Terri stood by quietly listening as everyone discussed what to do next. She was standing in the background, one hand wrapped around her waist, the other nervously twisting her hair. She was deep in thought when Joshua made his outburst. They were talking about her husband. Her _husband! _Like a lightening bolt, it hit her; Aidan Benjamin Stiles was her husband. _She loved him _and she wanted to see him again.

In a voice, barely above a whisper Terri turned around. "Joshua" He didn't answer, just turned to look at her. A single tear was running down her face as she spoke. "He never had it removed. They said it would be easier to leave it in; he may need it again and it may not be safe to do the procedure twice."

Now they were all looking at her. Terri wiped her cheek and tried to hold back the tears. Matt and Bailey couldn't believe their ears; how much did she remember? Matt cringed. How much did she remember? Even after she broke up with him, he was sure that as long as Terri had amnesia he had a chance. Matt was also sure that if she remembered what she had with Stiles before the accident she would never talk to him again for keeping them apart.

Bailey looked at her friend sadly, if she really did remember everything it would be bittersweet. Her husband was in grave danger; now would be a good time for her not to remember. Terri returned her gaze. Bailey could tell by the look on Terri's face that she did remember everything. There was no doubt when Terri whispered, "Thanksgiving." Bailey just nodded and squeezed her hand. She whispered to Bailey, "I left him alone."

"It's okay."

Terri shook her head. "Not this time."


	47. Do You Love Your Wife?

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Previously…**

Bailey looked at her friend sadly, if she really did remember everything it would be bittersweet. Her husband was in grave danger; now would be a good time for her not to remember. Terri returned her gaze. Bailey could tell by the look on Terri's face that she did remember everything. There was no doubt when Terri whispered, "Thanksgiving." Bailey just nodded and squeezed her hand. She whispered to Bailey, "I left him alone."

"It's okay."

Terri shook her head. "Not this time."

**Part 46: Do You Love Your Wife?**

Carl walked over to Terri and put his hand on her shoulder; he knew this situation was even harder for her. "Terri are you sure?" He wanted her to remember almost as much as Stiles did, albeit for different reasons.

"Yes, I went to the dentist with him."

"Joshua, are you sure it works? It's been a while since we used it."

"No, but we can quickly find out. Terri, turn on the transmitter and say something."

Thirty seconds later, Joshua was smiling. "I heard her loud and clear!"

Carl was thrilled and ready to get moving again. Matt had no idea what they were talking about. Chance didn't at first but soon recalled the story Stiles told him about the old mission and how he finally knew Terri actually liked him. He hoped that when she talked to this time, he would know that she really did love him.

"Matt, tell the paramilitaries to stand down. We can communicate with Stiles and I want Al Mosquaad. Terri, I need you to relay information to Mr. Stiles."

"Of course."

* * *

"Hey! I've got audio again." Lex screamed and turned up the volume. "I don't think he can hear me though." 

With the transponder out, Terri couldn't hear Stiles and Lex couldn't speak to him, but with the transmitter, Terri could talk to him and as far as they knew, Lex would be able to hear Stiles when he Stiles was able to talk to them again.

Chance ran over to Lex so he could hear. "That's okay, we've got the transmitter. At least this way we're not blind. "What's going on?"

It had been nearly 24 hours since they had heard anything from Stiles. They knew he was being held and they could hear that his captors were beating him at irregular intervals, but they hadn't had a direct response from him. Terri was just thankful that he was alive.

Lex frowned. "I think they're going to interrogate him again."

While Terri was alone waiting for more information to relay, she talked to him. "Stiles hey, what did I tell you about leaving town without me there to watch your back? Chicago was amazing; I hope you know how much I love you. I'm sorry I wasn't here to say goodbye before you left. Take care of yourself." She wanted to tell him she remembered but she knew him; if she told him what she knew he would worry and she didn't want him wasting time worrying about her. They could talk when he got home.

After two hours without a new message from the command center, Terri relaxed deciding that things must be falling into place. What she didn't know was what the men were hearing: "I don't care what you do to me, I'm not talking!"

"Lex what are you hearing?"

"They're back in the room with him."

Matt ran over to Lex and put on headphones. Chance called Carl back down thenj oined Matt.

"Mr. Stiles, is it? You work for the CIA."

"My name is Andrew Stallings."

"Do you love your wife?"

Stiles didn't answer. _You have no idea how much l love my wife. I love her more than life. Only love could explain why I've put up with what I have the past year. Of course I love her._

"Do you love your wife?"

_Unfortunately, she doesn't love me._ "I told you, my name is Andrew Stallings. I am a contractor with Maple Industries. Do whatever you like; no one will care what happens to me, so it doesn't matter. The British government doesn't negotiate with terrorists."

"Ah, but Mr. Stiles, you are American. Your beautiful wife Terri, I believe her name is, maybe she will care what we do to you."Stiles tried not to react when he heard Terri's name though he could feel his blood pressure rise; they really did know whom he was. "Oh that's right, she doesn't remember you, does she? Let's see…" The interrogator opened a manila folder and began reading. "Broken arm, multiple contusions, amnesia; I believe that about covers it."

Everyone in the room froze—he knew about the plane crash! They were happy and scared at the same time, happy because they had indeed found the group responsible and scared because they knew too much about their agent.


	48. Three Days

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Previously…**

"Ah, but Mr. Stiles, you are American. Your beautiful wife Terri, I believe her name is, maybe she will care what we do to you." Stiles tried not to react when he heard Terri's name though he could feel his blood pressure rise; they really did know whom he was. "Oh that's right, she doesn't remember you, does she? Let's see…" The interrogator opened a manila folder and began reading. "Broken arm, multiple contusions, amnesia; I believe that about covers it."

Everyone in the room froze—he knew about the plane crash! They had indeed found the group responsible. They were happy and scared at the same time, happy because they had indeed found the group responsible and scared because they knew too much about their agent.

**Part 47: Three Days**

The man opened a second folder. "Punctured lung, broken leg, broken arm, several broken ribs, several deep bruises; does that summarize your injuries Mr. Stiles?"

"Who are you?"

"Let's just say I'm a friend of a friend."

At the mention of his injuries from the accident, Stiles lost what was left of his focus. He was tired and in pain. As far as he was concerned, that crash ruined his life .His mind raced, going from his cover to Terri to Matt. Stiles hated Matt and apparently, Terri hated Stiles, or at least didn't love him. That was the only thing on his mind when he opened his mouth.

"How do you know about my accident?" The man refused to answer and just smiled wickedly.

Carl and Chance were getting anxious; Stiles was starting to crack. He should never have admitted that they were right.

"And they say CIA agents aren't very bright." The man laughed and Stiles got angrier.

"What do you want from me? I already told you…"

"It's too late Mr. Stiles, we know who you are. We also know that your government has a history of ignoring our 'suggestions' for improvement. This is what will happen: You will do as we say or we will deliver a video of your beheading to your wife care of the CIA."

_I'm sure she and her boyfriend will enjoy it_. Stiles looked into the captors' eyes. Even through their masks Stiles could feel them smiling. He had been in tough situations before and no matter what he wanted to beat it, to take care of business and get home. This time he didn't care. The events of the past year had worn him down and he was tired. Maybe if they hadn't used Terri as leverage it would have been different. Maybe if she cared it would have been different, but it wasn't. He had nothing to go home to and he knew the President wouldn't negotiate.

"Since you know so much about me you should know that my wife," he said the word wife with contempt, then paused briefly, "my wife won't care so you might as well do what you want and put all of us out of our misery. Stiles mumbled the next part, but Carl heard him loud and clear. "I won't sit around and watch some other guy with my wife living the life I should be living. I'd much rather be dead."

Carl thought about what the doctor said, "Three days. It's been three days." He looked around for Chance, "What is he talking about? Who's the other man?" Carl yelled.

Matt would have been smiling, but he was worried that Stiles' little testimony was costing them the mission. If it ever came out that he knew why Stiles felt that way, his career would be over. Matt let a slight smile escape. B_ut no one will ever know._

Joshua and Jackson stood back shaking their heads. Chance was left to answer.

"Bailey, go find Terri, we need her talking to him—now!" Chance ignored Carl's question. "I shouldn't have let him go! Chance looked at Matt, "I told you he had no business going on this trip! You better hope he gets out of this."

Carl was irritated. "You're right, you shouldn't have let him go and we all better hope he gets out of this. Right now, he's blowing the whole thing and if he's not careful, he'll get himself killed. Chance, Matt we don't have time to discuss your role in this now, but we will!"

"He's an experienced agent, and he's letting outside issues interfere with this mission, it's tantamount to treason!" Matt screamed back as he walked toward the transmitter. "Stiles! Get your act together, we need those men captured, you're going to fool around and get yourself killed, ruining our chances of getting them in the process…"

Matt was about to say something else when Carl snatched the microphone away from him. "Stiles, this is Carl. We know it's getting rough, but we need you to hang in there. Since you've already acknowledged that you are CIA use that to your advantage. Make them think we may negotiate; make them believe that the government doesn't want to admit to losing one of its own. What ever you do, keep yourself alive. We just need a little more time."

Carl turned to see Terri walking in the control room. "Talk to him, tell him you love him, tell him you can't live without him—something. He needs to get his head together." Carl then handed her the mic and went back to Lex.

"Stiles, I don't know what's going on, but I know you're in trouble. Honey, whatever it is I know you can handle it. We have people on their way now. Just hang in there a little longer; we're close to nailing these guys." Terri had a list of other things to say to an agent in trouble, but this was no ordinary agent. She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer.

While Terri was talking to Stiles, everyone else was trying to determine (1) how they knew Stiles' true identity and (2) how they were going to get him out of there and capture the terrorists.

The translator relayed the argument Stiles' captors were having: some of them wanted to attempt a negotiation with the CIA. They were sure that the U.S. government would want Stiles back; he wasn't a civilian, he was one of theirs and they wouldn't risk having the public find out a CIA agent had been captured and killed. Others wanted to just get it over with—announce that they had a "contractor" in custody and would behead him in 24 hours unless concessions were met. They were worried that other agents were close by. They couldn't decide on a plan, but they had no problems agreeing to another beating for their captive CIA agent. Stiles was just regaining consciousness when he heard Terri's voice.

"Stiles, I love you and I want you to come back to me."

Stiles closed his eyes and wished she were telling him the truth. Because he knew the others were listening, he didn't respond aloud. _Yeah right. I heard Carl tell you to say that. You're just doing your job—you don't care about me at all. How many other people did you tell about what happened in Chicago? Chance sure thought it was funny; I'm sure Matt got a good laugh too. You probably told him about it while you were in bed with him the other night._


	49. Surviving

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 48: Surviving**

Bailey walked over to the control area in time to hear the captors arguing about what to do with Stiles. She went back to Terri when they ordered a body cavity search.

"Terri, you need to keep talking to him."

"Bailey, what's going on?"

Bailey didn't want to tell her, but she knew she needed to. "They're searching him for tracking devices. Joshua is certain they won't find our stuff, but …just talk to him. Forget about the list; tell him you love him. Tell him you remember—anything."

Terri was already worried, and this wasn't helping. She went back to the microphone and started talking to her husband.

Terri talked to him for over an hour. She didn't get up until Jackson came to tell her Joshua needed her.

"I'd like to say something." Terri smiled. She was glad Jackson wanted to talk to Stiles. The two of them had had a somewhat rocky relationship in the beginning, but from that had come mutual respect.

"Stiles, it's Jackson. Don't give up. They're coming to get you." He stopped and looked at Terri; he could tell she was worried. "We want you back. Terri wants you back." Turning back to Terri, "we better go."

"Thank you Jackson."

* * *

When they got back, Terri walked to the group and could hear Stiles' voice. 

"I'm not telling you anything else! If you want to know, you'll…"

Stiles didn't get a chance to finish. His interrogator punched Stiles so hard he knocked him unconscious. The last thing Terri heard was laughter and what sounded like gurgling.

"Stiles! Terri was uncharacteristically emotional. When she turned around, the first person she saw was Matt. "It would suit you just fine if he died, wouldn't it?" Lex and Chance had to hold her, keeping her from punching Matt.

"Terri, I'm sorry; unlike Mr. Stiles, I am just doing my job. Things happen, you know that."

As Lex and Chance pulled Terri out of the room, she yelled once more. "You were not just doing your job! You sent him in there with the wrong information. He wouldn't have been caught if he had the right maps. You made this personal. If this mission is blown, it will be because you screwed it up, not Stiles!"

"Terri, calm down. We need you focused." Chance reasoned with her, but it didn't help.

"I'm fine."

Chance knew she wasn't fine. "Terri," he wanted to reassure her, give her a hug and tell her everything would be fine, but he couldn't. They'd completely lost control of the mission and he didn't know what was going on. "You know we will do everything possible to get him back here, but…"

"He can't promise. Chance, we have work to do in there. We have terrorists to catch. Terri, I'm going to ignore that outburst for the time being. I'll give you a couple of minutes then I expect to see you back in there; this isn't personal, this is business."

Chance reluctantly agreed and left Terri alone. She didn't look up at either of them as they walked out. She sat there thinking about how her insistence on dating Matt was coming back to haunt her. She had been mean to Stiles all those months and then she let Matt get away with antagonizing him. She didn't pick up the phone when Stiles called that last night. Why didn't she just go into the other room? The look on Matt's face would have been worth whatever nasty little comment he would have made. If she couldn't have anything else back, she wanted that night back.

Terri went to the ladies' room to compose herself. She was letting her emotions affect her work and she needed to get them under control, her husband's life may depend on it. She was giving herself a pep talk when Bailey walked in the door.

"You okay?"

Terri nodded. "I was just on my way out. I'm so embarrassed about how I acted in there. Bailey, that's not like me."

"I know it isn't and so do they. I know you must be exhausted, we all are. This is tough." Bailey walked over to her friend and did what Chance couldn't; she hugged her and told her things would turn out all right.

* * *

The entire upper level staff of the CIA started working frantically while Bailey tried to console Terri and get her back to work. Once she calmed down, she found Joshua. 

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Not at the moment. Are you okay?"

Terri nodded yes, but Joshua too could tell that she wasn't.

"You don't have to be in here right now. I can send someone for you."

"Thank you Joshua. I just need to talk to him. If I can't do anything else, I can at least let him know we're trying. I'll be at the transmitter."

Terri went back to the transmitter and talked to Stiles until she didn't have any words left. She didn't mention anything about her memory loss or Matt, instead, she told him how much she wanted him home, she talked about the weather, and she told him what was going on with the election. She told him to hang on. Matt walked by every so often just to see if she was there. When he could, he got close enough to listen to her. He wanted so badly to ask her and everyone else why they cared so much about this agent. Matt just didn't get it.

* * *

"Honey, I remember everything. You know, today is June 29. In just 12 hours, it will be our anniversary. I wanted us to be together by now so we could celebrate; you better get things worked out over there and get yourself home to me." Terri paused as she thought about all of the plans they made before they got married. 

Stiles slipped in and out of consciousness as Terri and the others talked to him. He heard bits and pieces of what they said, but much of it was disjointed because he was mixing up parts of messages.

"We're supposed to be talking about babies now, remember?" Terri laughed. "I guess we aren't ready for that yet, huh? I know what you're thinking, if I weren't so stubborn I would have remembered by now and we would be taking about decorating the nursery and baby names. This time next year I promise; little Zach needs a cousin. Maybe we should go back to Nice. That's a perfect place to start working on our family, don't you think? Stiles, I'm so sorry we missed the last year together. I love you with all my heart; I'll make it up to you, I promise."

She felt a tear escaping and paused; he could always tell when she was upset by listening to her voice. "But right now, just concentrate on surviving. I don't care if you catch anybody; let the paramilitaries take care of it. I just want you here in one piece. I need you here in one piece."

Stiles regained consciousness in time to hear Terri say she loved him. He again dismissed it. He didn't know whether she was really talking or if he was waking up from a dream, it didn't matter. He left home knowing she wanted Callan and now she was lying to him to get him to do his job. He laughed at the irony; that the night in Chicago was because she felt sorry for him. He thought it was Callan Terri was dumping; turns out it was he who was being dumped. Her visit was his parting gift. He looked around the room for one of is captors; he was alone. He wondered why they wouldn't just kill him. All he wanted was to stop hurting—physically and emotionally.

Every so often Jackson or Bailey would relay information to Terri to give to Stiles, but for the most part, there was nothing for her to do. They hadn't heard anything from him since the beating hours earlier; they still didn't even know if he could hear them.


	50. June 30

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 49: June 30**

"Terri"

Terri was startled to hear Bailey's voice. "Yeah, what's going on, is he okay?"

"I'm sorry, nothing has happened. Carl just told us to take shifts getting a little sleep. It's your turn."

Terri turned back toward the transmitter. "No. I have to keep talking to him."

"Terri, you're exhausted, I can see that. I know we're getting close and the boys are hopeful something will break soon, but you know we don't know how much longer this will continue."

"When they get him out of there, they will need you downstairs. You will be of no help to him if you can't do your job when the time comes. It's just a nap. Take an hour. You know I'll come get you if something significant happens."

Terri didn't want to leave him. Even though she couldn't hear him and she wasn't even sure that he could hear her, she felt close to him as long as she could keep talking. "I really don't want to leave."

"I know you don't but you need to get some sleep too."

Terri was about to protest further when she yawned. Bailey laughed. The two of them walked to Bailey's office. Bailey had a blanket on the couch waiting for her. Terri sat down and took off her shoes. When she looked up, Bailey was holding out a gift bag stuffed with tissue paper.

"What's that?"

"Happy anniversary"

Terri shook her head and smiled. "Bay, you didn't have to do this."

"I didn't," She said and handed the bag to a puzzled Terri. "It's from Stiles. He got it from Ireland. He had his grandfather ship it here the day you told him told him you loved him and wanted to stay married to him."

Terri felt tears well up in her eyes as Bailey was talking. She was tired of people watching her cry so took a deep breath and looked down at the bag.

"He got the idea when you were on your honeymoon. Then everything happened so…anyway, he asked Patrick to send it to my house so you wouldn't find it. Chance and I talked about it and decided that if he wasn't home today that I should give it to you. I'm sure he'd want you to have it on your anniversary."

Terri stopped unwrapping her present. She put down the bag and stood up to hug her best friend. "Thank you Bay. I needed this today."

Bailey smiled. She was happy to do it. She hadn't seen Terri smile for weeks. "Open it! I want to see what it is. He wouldn't tell me; he was afraid I would tell you. Chance didn't even tell me he had it until yesterday!" Both of them laughed; everyone close to Bailey knew that when it came to romance, she couldn't keep quiet.

Terri pulled off the last piece of wrapping paper and found a small jewelry box. Bailey was almost as excited as Terri.

"Open it already!"

That got Terri to smile. "Wait a minute. It's wrapped in three layers!"

Terri finally opened the box to find a diamond and emerald necklace. As soon as Terri saw it, she started to cry. This time she let the tears fall.

"Oh Bay, do you know what this is?"

Bailey looked at the necklace and shook her head.

"It matches the ring he gave me at the wedding."

"The one that belonged to his grandmother?"

"Yeah. He must have had it made. He said the ring was the only piece."

"Where is the ring, I haven't seen it since the wedding."

"I don't know. I was wearing it when we came home, but I haven't seen it since. I haven't seen my wedding rings either."

Bailey smiled slightly. "Knowing Stiles, he wasn't going to let them go until he was sure you were staying. I'm sure he has them stashed away somewhere."

"Yeah. I just need him to come home so he can put them back on my finger."

"Terri..."

"I know," She said sadly. Then she looked at the necklace again and thought back to the day Stiles gave her the ring. She closed her eyes. She remembered that day like it was yesterday.

_Who is it?" Helen asked, irritated that someone was disturbing her last mother-daughter moment with Terri before the wedding._

"_It's Patrick love."_

_Helen smiled a little when she heard who it was. She couldn't help but like Mr. O'Connor._

_"Hello Patrick. Is everything alright?"_

_"Absolutely. Is everyone decent? May I come in?"_

_Helen moved and let him in. Patrick looked at Terri and a big grin spread across his face; it was easy for him to see how his grandson fell in love with this woman._

_"Terri, love you look amazing. I'm sure A.B. won't be able to take his eyes off ya--or his hands." Patrick laughed and Terri turned to Helen to stop her from opening her mouth._

_"Thank you Patrick."_

_Patrick walked to Terri and pulled a small box from his jacket pocket. "I have a present for ya, from A.B. it belonged to his grandmother. We're both sure she would want ya to have it. A.B. was her favorite, ya know."_

_Terri laughed as she took the box and a note from him. "Yes, he's told me—several times."_

_Terri opened the box and found a brilliant cut diamond ring. The band was channel set with emeralds in the shape of shamrocks. "Oh Patrick, it's beautiful!"_

_"As are you, my dear."_

_Terri hugged him despite Helen's protests that she would wrinkle her gown._

_"Thank you."_

_"You're welcome, but I'm just the messenger. That ring belonged to my Katherine and her mother and grandmother before her. It's been in the family for generations. Read the note."_

_'My mother told me to hold on to this until I met a woman who would love me as much as she did.' Aidan.'_

"Bailey, what if he never comes home? What if I never get to see him again? I need to tell him in person how much I love him. Bailey, he could be dead already."

Bailey sat down next to Terri and let her cry on her shoulder as she held tried to soothe her. Bailey was surprised it had taken Terri this long to break down. After Terri's tears subsided, Bailey talked to her.

"Terri, that's the exhaustion talking. You have to get some sleep. I know you haven't gotten more than a couple of hours of sleep in the past three days. Do you want me to stay until you fall asleep?"

"No, I'm okay. Help me put this on?"

Terri lifted her necklace from the box and held it while Bailey fixed the clasp.

"Alright, I'm going. Rest. I'll be back in an hour to wake you—sooner if anything changes." Bailey watched as Terri laid down on the couch. She then turned out the light and opened the door.

"Bailey."

"Hmm?"

"Thank you—for everything."

Bailey smiled and whispered to Terri as she shut the door. "You're welcome."

Bailey shut the door behind her. Terri pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and pulled it over her. She fell asleep with her hand wrapped tightly around her necklace. She just hoped it wasn't her last anniversary.

* * *

While Terri was asleep, Bailey was in charge of relaying information to Stiles. "I see why you and Chance are such good friends. You have the same foot in mouth disease. He told me about the conversation you had on the way to your house the day you left. Stiles, Terri wasn't laughing at you, she was laughing with you and so was Chance even if it didn't seem like it." 

"I know you're upset that she told me, but believe me when I tell you that she was endeared by the whole thing. She knows how much you love her."

When Stiles first heard Bailey's voice, he was glad to hear someone other than Terri. He was tired, he was in pain, and he was sick of being in a tiny cell by himself. He was beyond caring what Terri had to say at this point; he just wanted it to be finished. He was beginning to think they were keeping him alive for the fun of torturing him.

He changed is tune slightly when he woke up the next time and heard Bailey. "You know Chance loves you like a brother. The two of you are so much alike it's scary sometimes. Terri isn't the only one who needs you, ya know. Mom says you remind her of Eric. The minute she found out you'd lost your mom she claimed you as her son." Bailey laughed. "You have to come back; it would kill her to lose another son."

Matt walked in time to hear Bailey tell Stiles that their mother "adopted" him. "Great, he stole my girl now my family! He's on death's door half a world away and he's still messing with your heads!"

Bailey turned off the microphone and got up. "I can't believe you! When are you going to let it go? I'm sick and tired of the way you've been acting; it's like you're glad he got caught! Right now, I'm ashamed that you're my brother. I can't even imagine what Chance, not to mention Terri and mom, for that matter, will do to you if he doesn't make it." Bailey was about to say more, but stopped herself; she was so disgusted with Matt's behavior that she was afraid of what might come out of her mouth is she continued. "What do you want?"

Matt looked at Bailey and ignored her most recent declaration of how much he disappointed her. He had plenty to say to her, but now wasn't the time. He walked to the door and almost as if it was an afterthought, he told her why he'd come. "They're going in."


	51. The End?

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 50: The End**

"We need to get Terri."

To Matt's chagrin, Chance walked into the room at that moment. "Bailey should be the one to go tell her."

"Chance, I'm running this show, remember? I'll tell her."

"Matt, I will tell her. You're the last person she will want to see right now; you've upset her enough as it is."

Matt turned around and glared at his sister. If anyone else had said that, he wouldn't have ignored it, but it was Bailey and he knew when to let her win.

Bailey walked into her office and looked at Terri who was still asleep. She paused briefly getting her thoughts together.

Terri sat up slowly and smiled at Bailey. "Hey, that was a short hour. What's going on?"

Before Bailey even opened her mouth, Terri saw a clock. "You let me sleep more too long! Bailey, I've been asleep for…" She tried to remember what time she went to sleep, "six hours! Why didn't you wake me? Did something happen? You wouldn't be here now if…Bay? Please, just tell me." Terri looked at Bailey and waited anxiously for an answer.

Bailey couldn't look her in the eyes. "Sweetie, I'm sorry."

Terri slowly repeated what Bailey had said, "You're sorry? Bailey, why are are you sorry?"

Bailey took Terri's hand in hers and paused briefly. They got into an argument about what to do...we lost him. We don't know exactly what happened yet, but..."

Terri stared at her a moment hoping she misunderstood. She was pleading with her eyes, shaking her head. "No, he can't be…" Within moments she was hysterical, sobbing and shaking.

"I'm sorry honey. I didn't want to tell you until we confirmed it. I'm so sorry".

Terri stared mumbling through her tears as Bailey hugged and consoled her. "I can't believe he's gone; not now after all we've been through. Why did it have to be today? I wish I'd never remembered."

"Shh"

After several minutes, she calmed down and looked up at Bailey. "Just tell me it's not true, tell me he's not really dead please."

"What?"

"Tell me they were wrong, you were wrong. I need him here, please Bailey; I don't want him to be dead. I want him back."

"Oh honey it was just a dream." Bailey chucked "I guess I did let you sleep too long after all."

"You mean he's not…"

"No. I've been trying to wake you for several minutes. You've been talking in your sleep. I let you sleep because they were sending in a team. They found him Terri. He's coming home."

"He's coming home?"

"Yes. He's going to be in the hospital for a day or two, but he'll be okay."

Terri held onto Bailey for several minutes. "He's okay? He's really okay?'

"He's really okay."

* * *

Terri called Helen the minute she knew Stiles would be home. 

"Mom, I remember!"

Helen was cautiously optimistic. She'd had her hopes up so many times the past year and she didn't want to be disappointed. "What do you remember dear?"

"Everything. I remember everything."

"Baby I'm so happy for you. I'm sure A.B. is thrilled!"

Terri softened her voice a little. "I'm sure he is, but I haven't really been able to talk to him."

"Why on earth not?"

"He's not here; he's still out of town, but he will be here in a couple of days. I've already arranged to have the following morning off. I can't wait to see him! Oh mom, I owe him so much. How will I ever make things right with him? I can't believe some of the things I've said and done. I was so nasty to him in the beginning. I went out with another man. I just hope he can forgive me."

Helen put on her best mother voice, "You're right, you do owe him. I told you it would be hard for you when your memory came back if you weren't nice to him, but didn't you say things were going well before he left?"

"Yes, but it's been so long and he's had time to think about things…"

"Darlin' you know exactly what to do. The man loves you and hasn't had sex in a year; you get yourself all dolled up, put on one of those negligees I bought you. He'll take one look at you and forget everything except the present. All he's wanted all these months was for you to want him, to love him back. I think you've got that covered."

Terri didn't mention her trip to Chicago. "I love you mom, what would I do without you?"

"I don't know; I shake my head every time I think about it."

As soon as Helen hung up with Terri she called her husband and gave him the good news. Then she called Liz Callan.

* * *

Stiles lay in his hospital bed staring at the ceiling. They were going to release him in a few hours. He would be home the following evening. He wasn't sure what home was at this point. He hadn't even wanted to come back from this trip. 

He'd had several phone calls from Langley, but he refused to talk to anyone, including Terri and Carl. He told nurses to tell them he was asleep or couldn't talk. Someone from the military base gave him his return flight information.

He lay there replaying all of the things he'd heard while in custody—first from Terri then from Bailey. He tried to conceive some way that Terri was telling him the truth. He wanted her to love him—more than anything—but he knew better. Her comments to Bailey about their night together in Chicago combined with what he heard Carl tell her to say told him was all he needed to know: After a very long year, his marriage was over, he'd lost his wife.

He laughed when realized that the day he was rescued—June 30, his first and now only anniversary. What a cruel joke; knowing Matt, he made them hold out until the thirtieth so he could get in one more blow.

Stiles closed his eyes. He wasn't used to losing, not like this. He did his job to the best of his ability, but he was sure things would work out for him when he was captured—the U.S. didn't negotiate with terrorists they told him. Ha! The fact that he was lying here instead of in the morgue disproved that theory. He laughed again when he realized the irony in that—he couldn't even die right.

If they knew what he was thinking they would expect tears, but he had none left. He was just numb. He opened his eyes and contemplated his next career move; he couldn't go to Langley every day and look at the two of them. He was finished taking orders from the man who stole his life from him. Then again, he could go back, smile, and pretend he didn't care. Just seeing his face everyday would drive Callan crazy.

Stiles sighed. He didn't want to think about it anymore. He would be back there soon enough.


	52. Going Home

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 51: Going Home**

Terri was both nervous and excited about seeing Stiles. She must have looked at the clock every 30 minutes to see if it was time to leave. After Joshua told her she could go home as soon as they were caught up on paperwork for their Asian operatives, every document she worked on seemed to take an eternity.

Joshua and Lex discussed her constant clock-watching. "Eager to get home Mrs. Stiles? Is something special going on this evening that you'd like to share?"

"Yeah, anything you'd like to capture on video? I've got the camera equipment right over here."

Terri shot both Joshua then Lex a threatening look and tried to go back to work.

"What time will he be home?"

"Around 6:00, I think. I haven't talked to him though, so I'm not sure."

Lex swiveled around in his chair. "You haven't talked to him? It's been three days!"

Terri frowned. "I know, but he's not talking to anyone. He wouldn't talke to Chance or Carl either. The doctor said he'll be okay, but I'm worried about him. Why won't he talk to us?"

"I don't know. I'm sure he would talk to you if he could. He's probably been medicated and I'm sure he's been sleeping a lot. I'm sure it's nothing. Anyway, you can ask him yourself in a few hours."

Terri smiled and went back to work as she responed more to herself than her coworkers. "Finally."

She finally gave up at 4:00. She waited until Joshua was alone and stepped into his office, handing him the few completed documents.

Joshua looked through the paperwork and looked up at her with mock disapproval. "Is this all you've managed to accomplish since 8 am, Mrs. Stiles? I expect better effort from one of my best employees."

"Joshua, I'm sorry I …"

He let her off the hook with his smile. "There's no need to apologize. I realize this is not a normal day for you. Yes, you can go home."

Terri smiled and gave her surrogate father a hug. "Thank you Joshua."

"Ah, to be young and in love."

* * *

Stiles entered the Langley complex still not quite believing that he was home. He went straight to Chance's office to turn in his report. 

Stiles ran into Matt outside of Chance's office. He was the last person he wanted to see. "We managed to capture the terrorists—despite you."

Stiles ignored him.

Matt leaned in and whispered in Stiles' ear as he opened the office door, "I took good care of Terri while you were gone, just like I told you I would," then winked at him to punctuate his point.

Stiles didn't get a chance to respond before Chance opened the door.

"Welcome back my friend." Chance greeted him. "You got something for me?"

"Yeah, my resignation. I don't suppose we can debrief tomorrow?" Stiles asked expectantly. He was exhausted mentally and physically. Not to mention, he was in no mood to look at Matt.

"Your what?"

"My resignation. I'm done. This was my last mission." Stiles looked at Matt. "You win."

Matt smiled while Chance stood by his desk with his jaw hanging open. Carl stepped in before Matt could reply. "Stiles, I will not accept your resignation, not like this. I realize that you've been through a lot, but we just need a little information from you now. When we're finished, go home, talk to Terri and get some rest. We'll talk tomorrow."

Carl knew Terri had barely been able to work that afternoon when she found out he was on his way home. They tried to arrange for Terri to talk to Stiles at the hospital, but things hadn't worked out. He was hopeful that she could talk him out of leaving.

Stiles was tired and he didn't have the energy to argue with Carl. "Fine, let's just get this over with."

Carl and Chance asked their questions and got to the point quickly. They volunteered to save anything Stiles had in his report until after they'd read it. The entire debrief would have lasted less than thirty minutes except that Matt kept insisting Stiles provide more detail. Chance finally called him off when he felt his friend had had enough.

"Matt, I think we can wait on the rest, we have enough to get the analysts started."

"I think we need to…"

Carl looked at Stiles and knew pushing would make things worse. He also knew something was going on between Stiles and Matt. To this point it hadn't seriously affected their work so he'd kept quiet; however, Terri and Stiles were more than colleagues, they were his friends and he knew Stiles wanted to go home.

"I think Mr. Stiles has been through enough interrogations this week. Why don't you go home? Take tomorrow off; we'll talk Thursday."

Stiles looked over at Matt and rolled his eyes; he was sure the jerk would have kept him there all night if he could. He then looked at Chance and thought that he wasn't much better.

"Hey, an entire day off is the least we can do." Chance gently patted Stiles' on the shoulder. "Go home, see your wife--heal. We'll talk in a couple of days."

That was it; Stiles was happy to leave. He got up and walked out without so much as a head nod goodbye.

"Are you going to call her?"

"Right now."

"Good, I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight Mr. Callan."

"Good night sir." Matt didn't move. "Who are you calling?"

The other party picked up before Chance could answer him. He held up one finger as a sign for Matt to wait a minute.

"I just sent him home."

"How is he?" Terri unconsciously held her breath.

"Bruised and tired, but I think he's glad to be home." Chance thought saying more but decided against it. he was already in trouble with Stiles and he didn't want to make things worse. Whatever Stiles wanted Terri to know, he could tell her.

Terri let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Goodnight."

As soon as he hung up the phone Chance closed the door. "It's a good thing you're Bailey's brother."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"What were you doing just now? He gave us everything we asked for. The man's been through who knows what and you're asking him about the size of their prison cells!"

"We need every piece of information we can get; we're not finished there!"

"Yes we do and we can get it Thursday. This was personal Matt and it's got to stop. She chose him. You lost, get over it."

Matt just stood there staring at him. A number of things ran through his mind that he could say, all of them most likely resulting in a fight--a fight that he might win with Chance but lose with his sister. And if he got on her bad side he would have his mother to deal with.

It turned out not to matter. Chance walked to the door, opened it, and turned out the light. "Goodnight Matt, I'm going home to my wife and I suggest you do the same. Oh wait, you don't have a wife, do you?"

* * *

Terri hung up the phone and sat down. She would finally get to see him, hold him, and tell him in person that she got her memory back. She loved him and she couldn't wait to tell him that she absolutely wants to spend the rest of her life with him. She was so excited and nervous that she didn't know what to do with herself. 

After several minutes contemplating, Terri got up and went to the bedroom where she'd already moved many of their belongings. She dug through her lingerie drawer to find something nice to put on. She looked at the first thing she pulled out and smiled. 'T_his will let him know how I feel and I won't have to say a thing.'_

Then she remembered that he was hurt and chuckled. 'H_e may not be ready for this one.'_ After rummaging through the drawer, she found the perfect thing,a long floral, cutaway negligee and matching robe that Helen had given to her at her wedding shower. Stiles had had seen her in it once on their honeymoon and he couldn't take his eyes off her.

Terri changed, sprayed perfume behind her ears, and then worked on the house. She already had candles set up in several places: on the table in the foyer, along the steps and in their bedroom. As bruised and tried as Stiles was Terri was still determined to make the evening romantic; they both deserved it. After lighting the last candle, Terri sprinkled rose petals on the stairs as she walked down to wait. By her estimation, he would be home within 10 minutes.


	53. Brandy

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 52: Brandy**

Stiles got in his car and sat there for several minutes. '_I can't believe I came home to this. That smug…What was he doing in the debriefing anyway? He wanted me to see him to rub it in my face that Terri chose him. He has my wife and now I'm here going home—to what? A wife who doesn't want me? An empty house?'_

He couldn't stand the thought of being alone; he needed to talk to someone. Terri was out of the question and he was sure Chance wouldn't care. He thought about calling Bailey, but she would probably just tell Terri and Chance what he said; he'd often suspected that the three of them talked—Chance's laughter the day he left proved it. He sat there feeling sorry for himself a while. Before he realized it, his fingers were dialing.

"Hello"

"Hey"

"Hey handsome, how are you? Are you home? How's Terri?"

"Please don't mention her name."

"Oh dear what happened?"

"She's sleeping with my boss."

"Aidan she wouldn't. Are you sure?"

"I came home a little early from a trip and found him on her bed. The only thing between me and him was a towel—one of our wedding presents no less. Her nightgown was still on the bed next to him and she was nowhere to be found."

"I just can't believe she would do that. I just talked to her maybe a week ago. She said she wanted to stay married."

"Yeah well, she told me the same thing the last time I saw her; apparently things have changed. It looks like I'm getting divorced. I can start a new tradition, the first Stiles to be a failure at marriage. I'm sure dad will be proud."

"Honey, there has to be a reasonable explanation. What did she say when you talked to her?"

"Nothing, I haven't seen her since then. She was already gone to work when I saw him and I missed her before I had to leave again. I just got back. It doesn't matter anyway. What was she going to say, 'welcome home, I'm sleeping with your boss.'"

Annie didn't like her brother's tone at all. "Where are you?"

"In the parking garage at work. I'm on my way home. I can't believe I waited for her all this time and she does this! Listen, I gotta go."

"Aidan, wait."

Stiles sighed. "What?"

"Before you do something stupid, something you'll regret, talk to her; maybe there's an explanation."

"Yeah, I'll bet; he's the one who sent me on the trip. I gotta go. I'll talk to you later."

"Just talk to her, okay?"

Stiles didn't want to talk about it anymore. He grunted, 'yeah fine,' before hanging up with Annie. He sat there for a few moments with the phone still resting on his cheek. He felt like a tremendous failure. First his marriage, then his mission. He was afraid he'd even lost his best friend. After several more minutes of brooding, Stiles started the ignition.

He mumbled to himself the entire time he was driving through the parking garage. He punched in his access code to let himself out and put on his left blinker; he was going home and he'd deal with reality in the morning. But he didn't want to go home. He'd spent the past year in that house—most of it alone. Although, they hadn't spent much time together until recently, just having Terri in the house with him the past few months had been fantastic. He loved seeing her smile every morning and smelling her perfume in the air after she'd left. Now that was over; she'd begun to remember some things, but she'd still chosen Matt.

Conveniently for Matt, their anniversary had passed whileStiles was away. At first, he'd had hope—when she insisted they watch their wedding together, when she made a point of riding to work with him every day. Then he went to Chicago...

How could she have been with HIM, in their house, after she told him she loved him and wanted to work on their marriage? Stiles didn't have any fight left in him.He didn't want to keep fighting for someone who didn't want him to win. He was going to have to accept that the love of his life, his soul mate wanted someone else. '_Why did I have to come home? Why didn't they just kill me? I may as well be dead if I have to live without her.'_

Stiles flipped his turn signal and turned right. He was going to have some fun. Since his wife didn't want him, maybe he could find someone who did. He drove until he reached the heart of the city. It was a Tuesday night, but this was D.C; there were plenty of things to do and plenty of places to go every night of the week. Stiles found a meter and got out. He didn't have any place in mind so he followed the crowd. The first place he stopped had a strict dress code; the bouncer took one look atStiles' face and clothing and turned him away. The third place wasn't as discriminating.

He looked around slowly. It reminded him of the club he had gone to with Moreland years earlier; in fact, it might have been the same one. Stiles didn't care, it had a bar. In the dark, no one noticed the bruising or his attire; the bandages could easily have passed for some new trend. Within minutes he wasn't alone.

"Hi, I'm Brandy. I haven't seen you in here before. This your first time?"

Stiles was suddenly in no mood to talk. The only companion he wanted was his Heineken. "Yeah and probably last."

"Ewww, somebody's in a bad mood. Maybe I can help." Stiles winced from the pain as the buxom peroxide blonde put her hand on his aching shoulder and batted her long, fake eyelashes at him.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Brandy apologized as shetook a closer look at his face. Where most women would have run from the trouble this man obviously was, Brandy was intrigued. "You look like you've had a rough evening. Want to talk about it?"

Stiles didn't look at her. A cold bottle of beer was the only companion he was interested in. "No."

She wasn't at all fazed by his brusque reply. "Hey, I'm a bit of a psychologist. I have an associate's degree in therapy." Stiles finally looked at her, slightly amused by her earnestness.

"Really?"

All he wanted to do was drown his sorrows, but this woman wasn't taking the hint. He relented hoping she'd go away if he told her something. He gritted his teeth together and spat out a brief history of the sorted mess he'd found himself in. "I found out my wife is sleeping with her best friend's brother, who also happens to be my boss. My best friend sent me on a business trip when he knew my wife and I were having problems so his brother-in-law, the boss, could get close to her. I got beat up on the latest trip and had to rehash the entire incident to the aforementioned fornicator. My wife has probably moved out and is filing for divorce. Instead of going home to an empty house, I'm here," he held up his bottle of beer, "with Mr. Heine."

He sounded bitter and he was, but Brandy saw potential. None of the other men in the bar had actually filed for divorce. At least this one had a house—an empty house—and a job.

"I can help you forget about your problems." She winked at him and ran her long fingers down his arm.

"Thanks, but Heine and I are fine." Stiles turned back to facing the bar and took another drink. Brandy left, but she wasn't giving up.

Terri got worried when Stiles wasn't home within thirty minutes and called his cell phone to check on him. She got nervous when he didn't answer, but she left a message anyway. "Hi, it's me. Welcome home. Call me as soon as you get this. I love you."


	54. Regrets

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 53: Regrets**

When Stiles got to his fourth beer, Brandy came back. "You and Heine still doing okay?"

Stiles didn't want to, but he couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, we're fine." He was so wrapped up in his misery, he was just happy that someone was paying attention to him.

"How about a little dance?"

"I'm only on four. If you're still here when I get to six I'll think about it."

She walked away undeterred. She sat back and waited.

* * *

When another twenty-five minutes had passed, Terri thought seriously about getting in her car and driving to the Agency just to see ifStiles had been in an accident, but convinced herself that she was being silly. The paramedics would call if he'd been in an accident. Instead, she called the office. She didn't know why he wouldn't come straight home, but he was a workaholic sometimes. Again, no answer. She sat on the couch and fidgeted nervously. She was worried, but it was late and she didn't want to disturb anyone else. She was a big girl and she could wait. Terri stretched out on the couch and passed the time by reading the letters Stiles' wrote to her in is journal. Again, she was careful to read only the ones Bailey marked for her, the ones where he mentioned how much he loved her. 

When Stiles finished his seventh beer, Brandy sauntered back to the bar. "That's seven, you owe me a dance."

"Fine."

Between the liquor and his injuries, Brandy had to practically drag Stiles to the dance floor and hold him up through the song. When it was over, she suggested they go to the couch. As soon as he was seated, she leaned over and kissed him. He attempted to push her away, but didn't resist when she kissed him more forcefully. Within a few seconds he was kissing her back. He forgot where he was and who he was with as Brandy's hands made their way under his shirt and onto his chest. She only stopped long enough to ask him if he lived nearby.

Part of Stiles' brain, the part way in the back, told him to say no, to get up and run. The other parts were very aware that with the exception of the one night in Chicago it had been nearly a year since he'd been with a woman, three years since it was anyone but Terri. That part forced him to speak. "I'm parked down the street and my house is only a couple of minutes away."

Terri woke up on the couch with still no sign of Stiles. She left a message for Joshua telling him she would be late the next morning. It was nearly 2:00 am and even if Stiles walked in the door in the next five minutes, it would probably be almost morning before she went to sleep.

She was no longer just worried, she was angry; he had to know she was waiting for him. Why didn't he answer his phone? Why hadn't he called her? She blew out all of the candles, went upstairs and lay down on the bed, but not under the covers; she just couldn't give up completely.

The "couple" kissed all the way to the car. Brandy had found her mark and she wanted to keep him distracted. She took his keys and convinced him to let her drive. Her eyes lit up when Stiles pointed to his house. It was better than Brandy could have imagined, though the car should have tipped her off.

The walk up the steps to door was awkward, but manageable. Brandy let Stiles lean on her as he fumbled for the door key.

Terri woke up with a start. She sat up in bed and listened carefully. She heard voices that seemed to be coming from inside her house. She quietly got out of bed, walked to the closet and got Stiles' gun. She briefly considered calling the police, but she didn't want to overreact; the voices could be coming from outside.

Brandy and Stiles were barely in the door when she started pulling at his shirt. Stiles kissed her roughly and pushed Terri out of his mind. This woman was nothing like his wife and that was perfect. He stopped long enough to ask the woman if she wanted a beer. She answered by kissing him again. It didn't take long before her clothes were all over the living room and his were headed that way.

Neither of them noticed Terri as she crept out of the bedroom to the stairs. She was a third of the way down when she saw them. She felt sick. 'H_ow could he? After all we've been through? I told him I loved him._ Terri wanted to run down the stairs and hurt both of them, her husband and the tramp who had her hands all over him. Instead, she turned around and ran to the bathroom before she threw up on the stairs.

Stiles opened his eyes to look at her. She was of medium build, with long limbs and fake everything; he doubted Brandy was even her real name, but she wanted him badly and that's what he needed, to be wanted.

Terri sunk to the bathroom floor, put her head down on the toilet lid, and cried. What had become of her life? What happened to 'I will always want you?'


	55. What Have I Done?

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Previously…**

Stiles opened his eyes to look at her. She was of medium build, with long limbs and fake everything; he doubted Brandy was even her real name, but she wanted him badly and that's what he needed, to be wanted.

Terri sunk to the bathroom floor, put her head down on the toilet lid, and cried. What had become of her life? What happened to 'I will always want you?'

**Part 54: What Have I Done?**

Stiles' eyes wandered over her shoulder. "Stop."

She ignored him.

Stiles pushed her away from him and said it again. "Stop. Look, you gotta go, I can't do this."

But she wasn't listening. "Brandy!" Stiles grabbed her by her shoulders and pushed her away from him. "I'm married!"

"I don't care honey, I told you that. Besides, you said she left you."

Now Stiles was sitting up, looking for his shirt. "I know, but I made a promise. I made a vow to be faithful." He was now talking more to himself than to the woman next to him. "Please, just go."

Brandy huffed and glared at him. She couldn't believe that the evening that began with such promise was turning out like this. "I don't have my car; I rode with you!"

"Here," Stiles pulled a couple of bills out of his wallet and shoved them at her. "Call a cab, walk, I don't care, just please be gone before I get back!"

Stiles wandered into the kitchen looking for a six-pack. He found one and opened a can.

Terri pulled herself from the bathroom floor with determination. She was not going to fall apart, not now. She cleaned off her face and walked out of the bedroom. She didn't hear anything so she walked with purpose to the stairs. She wanted that woman out of her house and if Stiles didn't want her to go, he could leave too. She stopped as suddenly as she started. She was afraid of what she might see; she knew she couldn't stomach actually seeing him having sex with someone else.

Brandy struggled to get dressed as she called information for the number of a cab company. She was indeed out of the house when Stiles came back to the living room.

Stiles walked back into the living room and looked around. He was shaking; he couldn't believe the mess his life was, what he'd almost done. It wasn't him. When the first tear threatened to fall, he picked up his can of beer and downed it as if it were a shot. He wasn't going to cry over her. He picked up the second can; he didn't intend to stop drinking until he couldn't get the can to his mouth. He eased into the couch and made himself comfortable.

When he sat back he felt something behind him. He reached around his back and pulled out his journal. He looked at the book of "love letters" disgustedly, staring at the book for several minutes thinking about all of the times he'd written in it, wishing for her, all the times he'd cried on the pages. When he couldn't stand to look at it anymore he threw across the room. He jumped when the frame hit its unintended target--his and Terri's wedding picture."_So much for pouring out my heart!_" Several tears escaped and he angrily rubbed them away. Crying was useless; it wasn't going to make her come back.

Terri went back to the bedroom and opened the closet. She pulled out a large suitcase and headed for Stiles' dresser. This time _he _could leave. This was her house and _she _was going to stay. Terri filled the bag with as many of Stiles' belongings as she could, slammed it shut, and zipped it. She then pulled out another bag. She was on her second trip to the closet when she broke down again; this was not happening to her again, it couldn't be! For the second time that night, she sank to the floor in tears. The only thing that stopped her sobs was her body's need for sleep. She soon fell asleep sitting on the floor, her head on the seat of their recliner and one of her wedding pictures clutched to her chest.

Stiles turned to look at the broken frame lying on the floor. For some reason, he couldn't just leave it there face down. Hewobbled across the room and pulled the black and white photo from the shards of glass. He had his arm around Terri's waist as she faced him; his head was angled slightly as he looked down at her, both of them smiling broadly. It was absolutely the happiest day of his life. Stiles stared at the photo for a while then crawled back to the couch. He held the photo to his chest as though he could somehow make the girl in the picture appear in his arms.

Stilest urned out the lamp next to the couch and reached for beer number three. He could barely lift his arm when he got to the fourth. He dropped the can on the floor and put his hands over his face as the tears began to fall. He'd cried himself to sleep before the beer ran out of the can.

* * *

Terri woke up at almost 8:30 the next morning. Normally she would be frantic that she'd overslept, but not today. She'd already told Joshua she would be late so they wouldn't be looking for her. Terri wanted to believe that what she'd seen the night before had been an aberration, but one look around her bedroom ended that hope. There were clothes scattered around the room and a bulging suitcase in the middle of the floor. She didn't want to think about it. She would go to work and worry about her adulterous husband later. Then she looked down; she was still clutching the wedding picture. A tear threatened to fall, but Terri quickly told herself she wouldn't cry for him anymore. She was finished and so was their marriage. 

When Terri finally looked in the mirror, shegasped; she was still wearing the emerald necklace. As much joy as that present brought days earlier, it was now a symbol of another failed marriage. She reached for the clasp to take it off, but she couldn't; her hands were shaking too badly. After 10 minutes, she gave up. It was one more reminder that she'd messed up. If only she had given him a chance sooner.

Terri walked down the back stairs into the kitchen; she wanted to avoid the living room—the scene of the "crime," but she couldn't fight the urge to look in on her way out. From the entryway she couldn't tell if he was asleep or passed out and she tried hard not to care. The sight of him disgusted her. 'I_ told him I loved him when we were in Chicago. I told him again while he was gone; I begged him to come home to me!'_ She had half a mind to make enough noise to wake him up, but she didn't want to expend the effort; he wasn't worth it. Halfway to the door she couldn't take it anymore, she had to go in.

Terri crept across the room. Stiles was on the couch, one arm dangling near the floor the other clutching something. When she got closer, she saw that it was their wedding picture from the mantle. It didn't take long to figure out why it wasn't in the frame; the frame was in pieces in front of the fireplace. After seeing the nasty bruise on his face and seeing him clutching their picture, she leaned down and gently ran the back of her hand across his face. '_It must have been awful for him.'_ Maybe she'd overreacted. The feeling quickly dissipated as she remembered the trashy woman she'd seen in her house only a few hours before. The more she looked at him, the more disgusted she became. '_He's probably only holding the picture because he feels guilty.'_

She walked briskly to the front door and slammed it behind her. The only thought on her mind was locating the number to her divorce attorney.


	56. When Pigs Fly

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1 borrowed a reference/line from one of the episodes, which one escapes me at the moment!**

**Part 55: When Pigs Fly**

"Good Morning Mrs. Stiles."

Terri nodded in Joshua's direction and went to her desk; she didn't feel chatty this morning. Joshua didn't take the hint. He came out to talk to her with a smile on his face.

"I got your message. I'm surprised you're here at all. I trust you and Mr. Stiles had a nice reunion."

Her initial response was a frown followed by a curt, "I don't want to talk about it."

"You didn't…"

"Why are men such pigs?"

Joshua had no idea how to respond to her comment. When she'd left the day before she was all smiles knowing he was coming home. Now she was calling him a pig.

"Do you have a particular man in mind?"

She paused a moment, working hard to keep the tears at bay; she was _not _going to cry again, especially not at work. "He didn't come home until the middle of the night."

"Maybe there was plane trouble; what was his explanation?"

"I don't know; I didn't talk to him."

"Why?" Joshua drawled.

"Chance called me when he sent Stiles home. He should have been home no later than 10:30. At 11:00, I called his cell and I called here looking for him. Joshua, I was worried. I fell asleep around 11:30. I woke up later to voices and went to check it out." She had to stop again to avoid a breakdown. Joshua waited patiently for her to continue.

Joshua could tell that whatever it was, it was bad.

"He brought…He was touching and kissing her."

"Her who?"

"I don't know Joshua! That's the point. It sure wasn't his sister! He was still passed out on the couch surrounded by beer cans when I left this morning.

"Oh Terri, I'm sorry." He was genuinely concerned. Throughout the whole ordeal of her recovery, her memory loss and Stiles' capture, she kept herself together. This was the first time he'd seen her so close to falling apart.

"Joshua, I don't want to talk about this anymore, okay?"

Joshua nodded and gave her a hug. When Terri and Joshua turned, they saw Matt staring at them holding out his arms to her. Terri just turned her back to him without saying a word. She was still very angry with him too.

Matt wasn't about to let her go that easily; he'd heard her tell Joshua about the other woman. He caught her arm and whispered, but loud enough for Joshua to hear, "I told you he wasn't worth it Terri. You deserve better. Just remember that I'll be here when you're ready."

Terri pulled her arm free, stood up, and, this time witout looking in Matt's direction.

Matt didn't say anything, but he was undeterred. When Matt finished meeting with Joshua, he glanced at Terri on his way out. He walked to his office whistling with a big smile on his face; she may not want him now, but she would. _'Ol' Stiles is making this easy. All I have to do is sit back and wait.'_

Meanwhile, Joshua stood in his office frowning; he'd watched Stiles the past year. He was miserable without Terri. He knew how much he loved her and he couldn't imagine him cheating on her, not now, not after everything they'd been through.

* * *

It was the fourth ring from the 10th call thatfinally gothim up. "What?" Stiles screamed into the phone. 

"Good morning or should I say afternoon? Mr. Stiles."

Stiles pressed his aching temples. His head was pounding and he was in no mood for cheeriness. "Joshua. What do you want?"

Joshua ignored Stiles' mood. "What's this I hear about you and a blonde visitor last night?"

Stiles rubbed his head in confusion.

"I have a massive headache Joshua and I don't have time for your riddles. What are you talking about?"

"Your lovely wife told me that she saw you, shall we say, entertaining a young woman at your house last evening"

"How could Terri know…What, was she following me?"

Now Joshua was confused. "Did you or did you not have a woman, other than your wife with you last night?"

"What's it to you?"

"Well, I listened to you go on about wanting your wife back. You finally get her back and this is how you repay her, by worrying her sick then cheating on her."

"For the record, I didn't…Joshua, how does she know who Iwas with last night?"

"I don't think she does, but she knows she was alone--at home waiting for you."

Stiles stared at the phone. His head hurt and Joshua wasn't making sense. Terri chose Matt. Didn't she?

"Joshua, she chose Matt. I'm divorcing her or rather she's divorcing me so I don't know what you're talking about."

Joshua thought for a moment before replying. The wheels were spinning "Oh dear. You were unconscious, weren't you?"

Stiles was getting irritated. "What? When? What are you talking about now?"

"Terri was talking to you through the transmitter. I heard her tell you that she loves you. You didn't hear that, did you?"

"Yeah I heard it, but it doesn't matter; she was only doing her job. I heard Carl tell her to say that stuff to me. They just wanted me to finish the mission. Even if, in a moment of guilt, she sort of meant it, it doesn't change what happened with her and Matt."

"Now, what are _you _talking about?"

"She slept with him while I was in Chicago! And who knows what the two of them were doing while I was in Iraq."

"Oh." Was all Joshua could think of to say. He didn't want to believe she would do that, but at this point, he didn't know what to think.

"Look Joshua, I gotta go."

Reluctantly, Joshua hung up the phone.

"Lex, do you know where I can find Mrs. Stiles?"

"She went to the food court for ice cream or coffee or something. She's not in a very good mood. Did something happen?"

"I'm afraid so," Joshua answered cryptically and went back to his office leaving Lex to wonder. Joshua called Joanna and told her he would be home late; he knew there wasn't going to be much work done in his department today.


	57. Stiles' Decision

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 56**: **Stiles' Decision**

Stiles didn't notice the candles Terri had left throughout the house or the rose petals on the staircase, but he did notice that he couldn't find any of his clothes in his bedroom. "Great! She's moved me out! His stuff better not be in her bedroom!"

Stiles stormed up the stairs and into Terri's old room, except he didn't know it was her old room. He looked through the drawers and closet--noclothes,Matt's or Terri's. Stiles resigned himself to showering and digging something out of his suitcase. As soon as he was in the hall, he noticed that the door to the master bedroom was open.

The first thing he saw when he walked in was the negligee Terri had worn the night before, the one he hadn't seen her it. He picked it up and held it, imaging that it was her he was holding. After daydreaming for a few moments he opened his eyes and saw the suitcase in the middle of the floor and the men's underwear on the bed. "Callan! I'll kill him!" Stiles threw the negligee across the room. He didn't bother to look around the room any more before he stormed out and headed downstairs. If he had, he would have realized that the clothes in the suitcase and on the bed were his.

Stiles was hurt and angry. '_The least she could have done was put the stuff away. She had to know I was coming home last night. Oh, he probably convinced her to stay at his place for the night. "Wait till I get my hands on you Callan. You'll wish you really were dead!"_

He was going to take care of Callan today, day off or not. He'd been warned! Stiles didn't care how he looked; the clothes he was wearing were wrinkled, he had 2 days stubble and because his hair had grown while he was in Iraq, it was going in ten different directions.

None of it mattered. The only thing that mattered was the fact that he'd lost his wife and his pride.

* * *

The minute Joshua hung up with Stiles he called Chance. 

"Do you know where Mr. Stiles went when he left here last night?"

"Home as far as I know; I'm sure he was eager to see Terri. Why?"

"I just spoke with Terri; she said he was with another woman last night."

"What? Stiles? no way! He wouldn't cheat on Terri, especially not now; she's got her memory back, things should be looking up for them."

"He doesn't knowshe remembers.Apparently, he didn't believe what she said to him. He also said that she slept with Matt."

"Gee, this is ridiculous. When did you talk to him?"

"Just hung up."

"I think we're going to have to lock the two of them in a room so they can talk and then send both of them home."

* * *

Chance glanced at his desk and the mound of reports he still needed to look through and sighed. They would have to wait; he had to talk to his friend. He tried him at home and got the machine. Stiles finally picked up his cell the third time Chance called. 

"What?"

"Hey man, what happened last night? I thought I sent you home to your wife. What's this I hear about you stepping out with another woman?" Chance tried to keep things light.

"What's Joshua doing talking to you about my life? All of you need to mind your own business."

Chance thought it best to ignore Stiles' comment about them minding their own business. He knew he would be lying if he agreed to that anyway. "He's concerned and so am I. What happened?"

"I met a girl and took her home. End of story."

"Are you insane? Your wife tells you she loves you—after a year no less and you pull this? Are you the same guy who was crying in his beer a few weeks ago about losing her? What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking my wife is in love with another man. Come on Chance, I know Carl told her to say that stuff when I was in Iraq, I heard him. Besides, I know the drill, give the hopeless guy hope and maybe he'll try harder to keep himself alive long enough to finish the mission. I told you she didn't care before I left. Nothing's changed."

"No you idiot, she meant it. No one told her what to say. She found out you were in trouble and," Chance banged his hand on his desk. "Just like that she remembers everything. She loves you man. I called her last night right after you left here to tell her you were on your way home. I know she was waiting for you."

Stiles blinked, then squeezed his eyes shut and held he head. '_What was Chance saying—that Terri was home last night? No, she couldn't have been. I would have seen her. Maybe she was asleep when I got home with what's her name. Stiles had to shake that thought out of his head. If Terri saw her she would think…_ _No, she wasn't there, she was with Matt, I know it. He was naked. Her gown was right there. She wouldn't have been there; she doesn't care_.

"Chance, memory or no memory, she slept with Matt; I can't forgive that. Did you know about that?"

Chance sighed. He had no idea Terri and Matt had slept together. "Of course not! When did this happen?"

"While I was in Chicago; maybe even last night. His clothes are all over our bedroom and so is one of her little nightgowns. Remember the day you brought me home, the day I left for Iraq?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"He was there, sitting on her bed naked with a towel thrown over his lap."

"Stiles, I'm sorry. I had no idea. Are you sure that's what happened? What did he say?"

"What did he say? What did he say? Come on Chance! He's sitting on my wife's bed naked; he didn't need to say anything. I got the message loud and clear."

"I don't get it. Bailey said she broke up with him, that she was going to work on the marriage." Then it hit him. "Oh boy, that's why… Is that why you said all that about no one caring if you came back and all that about you not caring if you came home?"

Stiles shifted as he moved the phone from one ear to the other and nodded to himself, but didn't say anything to Chance.

"Man, I should have known there was more going on. I can't believe him!" It all fell into place for Chance: Matt's speeding up the mission, his insistence that Stiles get out of the office when he did, the project that required Terri be out of the office that morning.

"Stiles, you gotta talk to her. Whatever happened or didn't happen I know she loves you."

Stiles just mumbled "yeah I bet." and hung up. He planned to talk to her all right, right after he dealt with Callan.


	58. Setting Things Straight

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 57: Setting Things Straight**

Bailey chose that moment to stick her head in her husband's office door. "Lunch?"

Chance looked up and smiled. Seeing Bailey was just what he needed. "That sounds like a great idea." On the way to the cafeteria, Chance told her about his conversations with Joshua and Stiles.

"Where did he get that idea? That doesn't sound like Terri. She told me that she broke up with Matt while Stiles was at the conference. Chance, she loves Stiles; she said she told him that. She finally slept with him for crying out loud!"

"Yeah, after 11 months," Chance interjected sarcastically.

"Stop it! I can't believe she turned around and slept with Matt after that." More under her breath than to Chance, she added, "And if he slept with her I'll choke him! And Stiles, I'll choke him too. What was he thinking bringing home some bimbo?"

Chance happily ignored Bailey's question about why Stiles thought that Matt and Terri were sleeping together. He didn't want to be the one to tell her about her brother's latest attempt to drive Stiles out of Terri's life. He thought it best that she hear the details from Matt or Terri.

"What was he thinking? Come on Bailey, you know what he's been through the past year. First, he practically has to beg his own wife to spend time with him. Then, instead of getting to know him again, she starts dating—not just anybody--his boss! When he finally thinks she's going to dump the guy he finds out she's crawled into his bed—right after she slept with him and said she wanted to work on their marriage. Between all that and what happened in Iraq can you blame him for not wanting to be alone?"

Bailey kept trying to interrupt Chance's speech, but he wouldn't let her. He hadn't been a very good friend the past few months; he thought it was high time he defended Stiles.

When he finally stopped, Bailey was ready to jump in with her list of questions and accusations, chief of which was what got into Stiles' head to make him think Terri would come home and not break up with Matt, but jump in his bed. She didn't get a chance; just as Chance finished talking, Matt walked up to their table.

"Hey, how're my favorite sister and brother-in-law?"

Both of them frowned. Chance didn't say anything, but Bailey did. "Walk with me."

"What?"

"Now!" Matt looked at Chance for some clue what she might want. Chance just shrugged.

Bailey got him in a corner in the hall and whispered loudly, "You slept with Terri?" then smacked his arm. "What on earth is wrong with you? I warned you. I am so angry with you I could..."

"Wait, wait, wait. Who told you that?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes it matters, because it's not true." Matt shrugged then added, "I mean, it's not that I didn't want to or try, but she…"

"You didn't?"

Matt got nervous, but did a superb job of hiding it. When he let Stiles leave the house that day, he didn't know what he thought, though he had an idea. At the time, he considered Stiles' unexpected appearance a bonus. That was then.

"No."

"Are you telling me the truth?"

"Yes!"

"Then why does Stiles think you did?"

"I don't know, okay? Now tell me who told you."

"Never mind; I just hope you get this cleared up before Stiles finds you."

Matt stood there for a minute thinking. He heard Terri say Stiles was with another woman and now he knew what happened. He figured that as far as Stiles was concerned, their marriage was over. He also knew that after Jeff, Terri wouldn't forgive him. A smile suddenly appeared across his face. Less than 30 seconds later, it disappeared. Things could get out of control fast. Stiles apparently hadn't told Terri that he'd seen Matt that day. Matt needed to make sure Stiles didn't, at least not before he saw her again. If that didn't work, he needed some good spin to get back in Terri's good graces. He had to rely on Terri being unforgiving.

Bailey walked back into the cafeteria to her table. Lex had joined Chance. "Honey, I'm sorry, I've got to find Terri. Lex, is she in OTS?"

"Yeah; she's not in a very good mood though. Something must have happened last night, but she isn't talking."

"Thanks." Bailey kissed Chance on the cheek, grabbed her food and headed to OTS.

She found Terri sitting at her computer staring into space. "Want to talk about it?"

Terri gave her best friend the best smile she could muster, which wasn't much. "Not really."

The two of them sat in silence for several minutes until Terri finally spoke.

"I lit candles, I bought those horribly expensive rosepetals and tossed them on the stairs, I poured myself into the silk gown mom bought me and he didn't even come home."

"What happened?"

"Well he came home, but not alone! I fell asleep waiting for him. When I woke up, I heard voices downstairs. He was with some blonde thing—in my house! They were all over each other!" Terri was trying very hard not to cry.

"Oh dear. I'm sorry honey. What did he say when you talked to him?"

"I didn't talk to him. What could he say, 'I was just released from Iraqi terrorists, I ignored the fact that my wife was worried to death and brought home a hooker'?"

Bailey didn't know what to say so she sat silently and waited for Terri to continue.

"I went back to our room and threw up. Then, I packed his stuff. He was still on the couch this morning. There were beer cans everywhere. Do you know he had the nerve to be holding our wedding picture! Bay, I just don't understand why he would do this, especially now. For a year he kept telling me he loved me and wanted me back. I told him I loved him before he left and again while he was gone. I told him I remembered everything."

"He thinks you slept with Matt." Bailey said matter-of-factly.

"What? He told you that?"

"No, he told Chance a little while ago."

"Bailey, I didn't sleep with him! I broke it off weeks ago. I told you that. I told him that. Where did he get that idea?"

"I'm not sure, but that's what he told Chance and wherever he got the idea, apparently, he's convinced that it happened. Terri talk to him."

"He cheated on me Bay. You know I can't forgive him—not for that."

"He loves you. He was hurt by what he thought happened. Now it all makes sense."

"If he loved me, he would have asked me about it!" Terri suddenly realized what Bailey had said. "Now what makes sense?"

"He told Chance he didn't care if he came home from Iraq; he said no else would care either. He told the kidnappers the same thing."

"So to solve his problem he sleeps with some bimbo instead of just asking me what happened? I thought he'd grown up a little the past couple of years. I guess I was wrong about that too."

Bailey sighed. She didn't know what to make of what was going on. "Terri, you know he tried to talk to you before he left. He had to…"

"Bay, I know you're trying to help, but I've got work to do and I just don't feel like talking about this anymore."

Bailey hated seeing Terri like this, especially after all of the progress she and Stiles seemed to have made. "Alright, but call me later okay?"

Terri nodded and smiled at her friend. Bailey opened the door from OTS and practically ran into Matt.

"She's already upset, don't make things worse."

"Why are you always on my case? I'm going to see Joshua. Is that alright with you, mother?" Matt had had enough of his little sister's needling. If he wanted to talk to Terri it was none of her business.

Bailey didn't answer him verbally. Instead she gave him "the look." Just like their mother, Bailey had the gift of nonverbal communication with the men in her family. They knew when they got "the look" that they were in serious trouble.


	59. Orders

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 58: Orders**

Stiles headed straight for Matt's office when he got to the Agency; it was empty. He was still tired and bruised and could now add hangover to his list of ailments. Stiles wanted someone to pay for his "suffering," and Matt seemed like the perfect person. He wasn't entirely convinced that Matt wasn't somehow responsible for the equipment malfunction that kept Stiles out of contact.

* * *

Matt sauntered into OTS and sat down in Lex's chair. "Hey beautiful. How about lunch with an old friend? You look like you need a little cheering up." 

"Not now, Matt, actually, not ever. If it isn't work related, we have nothing to discuss."

"You've got to eat."

Terri leaned in and whispered, "My husband thinks we slept together." Matt had a hard time keeping a straight face. Terri noticed the slight upward curve of his lips. "Do you have something to do with that?"

The smile faded quickly. "No, Terri. Absolutely not. I care about you. You know that. I wouldn't do anything to hurt you."

"After that stunt you pulled at my house? Matt, just...never mind. Please go away.I have work to do."

"Alright, I know you're upset right now, but remember, I'll be here whenever you need me." '_When you finally leave the jerk, I'll be right here waiting.'_

* * *

Chance and Carl bumped into Stiles in the hallway. "Afternoon Stiles, I'm surprised you see you this morning. I was under the impression you were off duty today." 

"I am."

Chance knew exactly why Stiles was there. "Carl, why don't you go ahead, I'll catch up."

Carl looked at Chance suspiciously but left anyway. "The meeting starts in 10 minutes." When it came to those two, Carl knew he was sometimes better off in the dark.

"You just came from Matt's office, didn't you?"

"This doesn't concern you."

"Un un, I'm not going to let you barge in there and get yourself fired. Despite what you said last night, I know you want your job." Chance took Stiles by the arm, "Come on."

Stiles snatched his arm away. "No. I came here to see Callan, and I'm going to see him. Where is he?"

"I don't know. SI my office. Now!" When Stiles didn't budge, Chance was more forceful. "That's an order!"

After a short staring contest, Stiles swent in the office, but he refused to sit.

"Have you talked to Terri?"

"I came to see Callan."

"Look, I know how you feel about Matt, but before you do anything stupid, talk to Terri."

"I don't have anything to say to her, but I have a lot to say to him."

"Stiles, I'm not asking I'm…"

"You're ordering me to talk to her? I don't think that qualifies as an order I have to obey."

"You're scheduled off today, which means you're here unauthorized. You've threatened the Homeland Security Liaison for Central Intelligence. You're a danger to this office and from the looks of you, to yourself. Yes, I can order you to talk to her. Let's go!"

Stiles got up begrudgingly, throwing Chance as much hostility as he could. On their way out of the office, Chance ran into Bailey. "On your way to the meeting?" She didn't immediately notice Stiles who was lingering in Chance's office.

"In a few minutes."

"Stiles, what are you doing here?"

"Nothing"

"We're on our way to see Terri."

"He ordered me to talk to her." Stiles said with a great deal of sarcasm.

"Good, I'll walk with you. You two need to straighten out a few things."

"You too?" Stiles rolled his eyes. "I should have known. First Joshua calls me, then him," he pointed to Chance. "Did you know?"

"Know what?"

The elevator opened as Stiles responded to Bailey's question. "That your brother was sleeping with my wife? I look like some kind of fool thinking Terri was going to come back to me. I can't believe how stupid I've been!"

Jackson's eyes got big as he heard Stiles. He looked around and cleared his throat. Chance was the only one to notice his presence; Bailey and Stiles were too engrossed in conversation. Chance looked at Jackson and shrugged; he'd said enough for the moment.

"Stiles, you've got to talk to her. She told me she wouldn't sleep with him as long as you were married. She said she didn't sleep with him when you were away. I just talked to her."

"Now she's turned into to a liar as well as an adulterer! I saw him sitting on her bed; a towel barely covering him."

Bailey stood there stunned. She looked at Chance to gauge his reaction; she could tell by the expression on Chance's face that this wasn't new information to him. "There has to be a reasonable explanation; they both told me nothing happened." She didn't want to believe that both Matt and Terri had lied to her, but it was beginning to look that way. The three of them were walking off the elevator as Stiles yelled,

"Nothing, like they slept together in my house!"

"You want to lower your voices? As much as it's seemed like it today, this isn't "As the CIA turns." Jackson admonished as the four of them walked toward OTS. No one said another word until they entered the department.

After Terri's curt dismissal, Matt patted her on the shoulder and stood up. He was turning toward the door just as Chance and Stiles walked in.

When Chance saw Matt with Terri he turned to push Stiles back out the door, but he was too late, Stiles had seen them too. Stiles pulled away from Chance and went straight to Matt. Matt never saw him coming.


	60. The One You've Been Waiting For

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1. Borrowed a line from a former President and I'm sure you'll be able to figure out which one (line and President). ; )**

**Previously…**

After Terri's curt dismissal, Matt patted her on the shoulder and stood up. He was turning toward the door just as Chance and Stiles walked in.

When Chance saw Matt with Terri he turned to push Stiles back out the door, but he was too late, Stiles had seen them too. Stiles pulled away from Chance and went straight to Matt. Matt never saw him coming.

**Part 59: The One You've Been Waiting For**

Stiles waited until Matt was away from Terri, but he had his hand in a fist before he got there. As soon as he was close enough, he swung with as much force as he could at Matt's midsection.

"Stiles! What are you doing?" Terri screamed as she ran between them.

"Oh no," was all that Bailey could muster.

Even though Chance knew things could turn out badly for Stiles, he was smiling to himself. '_It's about time Matt got what was coming to him!'_

"Terri, I'm fine, this is between Stiles and…" Matt had to cough out the rest, "me."

"Stiles" He was so focused on Matt, it was as if he didn't even see her between them. She finally had to yell to get his attention. "Stiles! What is going on?"

Stiles didn't answer her; he was angry and the only thing on his mind was making Matt pay. His rage was so blind, he would have ended up hitting Terri instead of Matt had Bailey not pulled her out of the way. Stiles swung again, this time hitting Matt squarely on the jaw and knocking him to the floor. "Get up!"

When Matt was half way up, Stiles hit him again. If the other men hadn't held him, Stiles would have kept punching him. As angry as he was, he wasn't going to stop until Matt was out.

"Hey, hey, that's enough." Stiles was fighting to pull away. "Stiles! I said that's enough!" Chance finally got him to stop struggling and pulled him back. "Okay, you got to punch his lights out. But that's not why we're here. You have to talk to Terri and from the look on her face, you better start explaining fast."

Stiles just stared at Chance for a minute then looked over his shoulder. Lex and Jackson were helping Matt; Bailey and Joshua pulled Terri aside and the rest of the department was pretending not to notice.

Stiles rubbed the top of his head. "Chance, what have I done? Am I going to loose my job over this? I can't…"

"Calm down, we'll figure out something, but don't worry about that now." Chance looked up to see Terri and Bailey talking. "Go talk to her."

* * *

"First, he gets drunk, brings another woman into our house, and has sex on my couch, now this. What is wrong with him?" Terri was hurt and angry. 

Stiles walked up in time to hear her question. "I did not have sex with that woman! Unlike you, I've been faithful! If you want to know what's wrong with me, maybe you should ask your boyfriend over there!"

"He is not my boyfriend! I thought we straightened that out when we were in Chicago. That's beside the point anyway. I know what I saw last night. I was sitting at home worried sick about you and show up with some bimbo! What is your problem?"

"My problem? My problem? You're the one who told me you were going to break up with him then started screwing around the minute I leave town!"

Terri was embarrassed with everyone standing around, but without thinking, she reached around Bailey and slapped Stiles. "How dare you! I did no such thing! I have been completely faithful to you since the day we met. I told you I wasn't sleeping with him. I told you I loved you the last time we talked. I can't believe you've become that paranoid, or do you think so little of me that you think I went home and hopped in bed with him?"

Everyone in the art department was staring at the couple as they screamed at each other. Their friends were so surprised by that they were hearing they didn't say a word.

Stiles held his stinging jaw as he turned around and looked for Matt. He was comfortably out of Stiles' reach. "Paranoid? I got it from him! I saw him sitting on your bed, naked. Chance brought me by the house to see you before I left for Iraq. I walk upstairs looking for you and there he is sitting there with a towel thrown over his waist. He told me how you 'took care of him the night before!'"

Terri thought for a moment. "The day you came back from the conference in Chicago?"

Stiles pursed his lips and shook his head stiffly. "Yeah, the day I came back. I called you the night before —twice, once on the home phone and once on your cell. If nothing was going on why didn't you answer?"

"I invited Matt over to tell him we were finished—just like I told you I was. I didn't answer because I was in the middle of breaking up with him when you called. I didn't call you back because the phones were out.

"That doesn't explain why he was in your bedroom."

Terri didn't want to explain this part. She looked around at all of the expectant faces and spilled it. "There was a bad storm that night and it wasn't safe for him to go home, so he stayed—on the couch. That's it, nothing happened. I told him to be gone when I came down the next morning. I didn't see him before I left for work; I don't know why he was in my room when you got home."

Terri knew Stiles was hurt, but she was tired of explaining herself. She tried one more time to get him to understand. "Stiles, I didn't even know you were coming home that morning. I would have been home, or here. Matt left word with Joshua that he needed me to work on something at HLS that morning; I didn't see Matt again until he got to the office. He didn't mention seeing you."

"Whatever Terri.Why didn't you use your cell? I left a message." Stiles wanted desperately to believe her, but there was still the matter of her not calling him back.

"Stiles I heard the message you left on our phone, but like I said, the phones were out so I couldn't call back. I didn't see a message from you on my cell."

Stiles stood there dumbly for a minute. He didn't know what to think. "Well the story I got from him is completely different. Then last night he told me he 'took good care of' you while I was away."

Terri looked over at Matt who was still massaging his jaw and heading for the door. "Matt, wait a minute. You LET him think we were sleeping together?"

Matt hadn't made it out the door. He stopped and shrugged his shoulders and reached for the door again. He thought he should get out of the area before Terri realized he must have erased Stiles' message from her cell phone.

Terri moved as fast as she could without running. She grabbed Matt's arm just before he cleared the room and pulled him back inside. "Answer me! Did you allow my husband to think that we slept together—after I told you I loved him and wanted to work on my marriage, after what he went through in Iraq?"

Matt didn't say a word. He looked around the room for support. Stiles, on the other hand, smiled to himself, _S'he does still want me.'_

"I can't believe you would do that! Did you erase his message on my cell phone too?" Terri paused for a second. "I already know you kept me out of the building on purpose that morning; you knew he was coming home. I thought you were my friend! I can't believe you would do that! Even after everything that happened I thought that one day, we could go back to being friends. Right now, I would be happy if I never saw you again!"

"Terri I told you it wasn't over. He's wrong for you. Can't you see? That's probably why you couldn't remember."

Terri had heard enough. She pulled Matt's free arm behind his back and twisted as hard as she could. When he twisted back to free himself she flipped him onto the tile floor with a thud.

Stiles smiled broadly remembering his first meeting with Terri. "That's my girl."

His smile quickly faded.


	61. Laying It On the Line, Part 1

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Previously…**

"Terri I told you it wasn't over. He's wrong for you. Can't you see? That's probably why you couldn't remember."

Terri had heard enough. She pulled Matt's free arm behind his back and twisted as hard as she could. When he twisted back to free himself she flipped him onto the tile floor with a thud.

Stiles smiled broadly remembering his first meeting with Terri. "That's my girl."

His smile quickly faded.

**Part 60: Laying it on the Line Part 1**

Terri pulled Stiles aside and let him have it. "I can't even look at you right now! This changes nothing between us as far as I am concerned; you still cheated on me! I never slept with him! I told you I wouldn't. You didn't even consider that there was another possibility. You should have talked to me!"

Stiles snatched his arm away and yelled, "Well that was impossible since you were nowhere around!"

Terri didn't acknowledge Stiles. She turned her back to him and spoke to Joshua.

"Joshua, I'm sorry about all of this. I don't think I can get any work done here today. I think I should just leave."

"No, I don't think so, come on." Joshua gently pulled Terri away from the door and asked Bailey to follow them as he walked Terri to his office. "Sit down please."

"Joshua I…"

"Don't move. Mrs. Chancellor will you keep an eye on her please?" Bailey wasn't sure what was going on, but she nodded and stood firmly in front of the door, blocking Terri's exit.

Terri stared at him in disbelief as he walked away. Then she turned to Bailey.

"Why is my life such a mess? I thought things were back on track and then this!"

"Yeah, I know, but I'm sure things will work out. They have to."

Terri didn't want to think about Stiles' one-night-stand, but she did want to get a few things off her chest about Matt. "Bay, I know he's your brother but I can't believe Matt let Stiles think we slept together, not after I told him I needed to try with Stiles. I told him I had fallen in love with him. Do you know what he said to me when I broke up with him? 'It's not over.'"

"I just heard. Right now, I could easily disown him. I had no idea."

Terri looked up at Bailey pleadingly. "Please tell me you didn't know anything about this."

Bailey gave her friend a hug and sat her down. "Of course not. I didn't know he let Stiles think you slept together until just now. I love my brother, and I know he can be a real jerk when he's trying to win and Terri, you are what he was trying to win. He knows he blew it before and he wanted another chance. The fact that you married Stiles, everyone's "guy" around here didn't help matters. I don't know why, but he feels threatened by Stiles." She sighed as she went on. "I am so sorry; I can't believe he would stoop this low."

"It's not your fault."

"I know, but still. I just don't get it. Even though he's the boss he somehow feels like he has to compete with Stiles; Stiles has the more glamorous job and he got the girl. If Matt got you to divorce Stiles for him, Matt wins all the way around. Stiles gets hurt and Matt gets his girl. He feels like he lost you to Stiles and he's been rubbing your relationship in Stiles' face at every opportunity."

Bailey closed her eyes and shuddered as she thought about what could have happened to Stiles in Iraq; many things Matt said and did while Stiles was captive were falling into place.

"Honey I know you're hurt, especially after Jeff, but give Stiles a chance. I know he loves you as much as you love him. Talk to him."

"He brought home another woman Bailey; they had sex and who knows what else on my couch while I was upstairs waiting for him in our bedroom." Terri was tearing up again, but she didn't care. "You should have seen her; she looked like a hooker! She may have been a hooker. I don't want to talk to him right now. I don't even want to look at him. I just want to go home." Terri threw her arms in the air. "I can't even go home, It's just a reminder of everything."

* * *

Chance was still consoling Stiles when Joshua approached them. "Mr. Chancellor, Mr. Stiles, a word." 

Chance and Stiles looked up.

"Mr. Stiles will you accompany me to my office please?"

"Why, so she can deck _me_ too?"

"Mr. Chancellor, your assistance."

"With what?"

"I believe Mr. and Mrs. Stiles need to have a chat. My office is available and the Mrs. is waiting patiently."

Chance looked into Joshua's office and saw Bailey "guarding" the door. He liked what Joshua was up to.

"Stiles, let's go."

"Is that an order too?" Joshua raised an eyebrow when he heard Stiles' question and wondered what else had happened that morning.

"Yep. Let's go."

The men walked Stiles to Joshua's office and knocked. Bailey quickly moved to let them in.

"Making them talk? Very good idea." She smiled and patted Stiles on the cheek. "It's a good thing I like you so much or I'd have to take you out for flattening my brother. Talk to her, okay? She loves you and I know you love her."

Everyone turned to leave. Joshua had one last parting comment. "We'll be back to let you out after the meeting—_if_ you've kissed and made up!"

Bailey shut the door and watched as Joshua used one of his latest inventions to lock them inside.

"Do you think that's possible, for them to kiss and make up, I mean." Lex asked genuinely concerned.

"I sure hope so. I don't think any of us can go through another day like this!"

As the group was leaving Joshua's office, Carl walked through the door and looked around. "What is going on down here?" Carl looked at his watch indicating how late everyone was. "Our meeting started 10 minutes ago, except I was the only one there. Mrs. Anaya tells me you're all here. Then I get down here and find Matt doubled over, barely able to talk because it appears that someone has punched him. Someone needs to start talking—now."

Chance stepped forward. "Carl I'm sorry. I started this and it got out of control." He gave Carl a 30 second review of the last few minutes and pointed to Terri and Stiles who were in a heated discussion.

* * *

"I never cheated on you, but you…" 

"What do you call having a boyfriend? What do you call kissing another man? I call it cheating!"

"What about you and that bimbo? I saw you last night, groping her. I saw the frame your grandfather gave us in pieces all over the floor. What, did you knock it off the mantle in a fit of passion while I was upstairs?"

Terri got upset just thinking about it. Every painful memory of her first marriage came back and then the tears started. When she started crying she became even angrier. She didn't want him to see how upset she really was. Stiles tried to interrupt her, but she had no intention of stopping until she was finished.

"Chance called me last night when you left here because _he _knew I was waiting for you! I planned a romantic evening for us; I lit candles, I put rose petals on the steps, I even put on your favorite gown, and I—looked--fabulous!"

"Terri, I…"

"No, you're going to let me finish! When you were out of contact in Iraq, I sat in front of that transmitter scared to death thinking I may never see you again. I talked to you when I didn't know if you were even alive, I told you I love you. How could you do this to me? To us?"

Terri was physically and emotionally exhausted; she was starting to shake and she had tears rolling down both cheeks. She walked over to Stiles, punched him in the chest and kept hitting him,mumblling, "I hate you." until he finally caught her wrists.

Carl, along with everyone else was watching, mesmerized as Terri pelted Stiles with her fists. They were all very concerned about their friends.

"I don't believe this. What has happened to my staff?"

Jackson chose that moment to step forward, leather portfolio in hand. "Nothing sir. I believe we're finished here for now. Shall we get the meeting started?"

Stiles looked into OTS to see their friends and colleagues watching them. He looked down at Terri slightly relieved.Although shenow claimedto hate him, he knew that wasn't true.If she didn't love him, she wouldn't be so upset.

Stiles gripped Terri's wrists tighter when she tried to hit him again. "I want to close the blinds so we can have some privacy; it looks like we have an audience."

Terri continued to struggle. "I don't care. Let me go!"

"I will if you promise not to hit me again. I'm already sore."

Terri nodded that she'd cooperate, so Stiles slowly let go of her wrists and turned toward the blinds.

Bailey, Chance, and Lex were still looking back into the office as they headed out the door. As soon asStiles turned his back, Terri took off behind him. The last thing the staff saw was Terri smacking Stiles in the back of his head.

Chance didn't know what else to say. Things were obviously a mess already so he just said, "I don't think they'll kill each other. "at least I hope not. "Let's go."

Bailey shook her head. She couldn't believe her brother was at the center of this mess. Chance saw the worried expression on her face as they walked out of OTS. He put his hand on her back to guide her though the door and leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Don't worry so much. They'll be okay. It'll all work out."


	62. Laying It On The Line, Part 2

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Previously…**

As soon as he turned his back, Terri took off behind him. The last thing the staff saw was Terri smacking Stiles in the back of his head.

Chance didn't know what else to say. Things were obviously a mess already so he just said, "I don't think they'll kill each other." at least I hope not. "We have a meeting, let's go."

Bailey shook her head. She couldn't believe her brother was at the center of this mess. Chance saw the worried expression on her face as they walked out of OTS. He put his hand on her back to guide her though the door and leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Don't worry so much. They'll be okay. It'll all work out."

**Part 61: ****Laying it on the Line, Part 2**

Terri turned and walked away after she hit Stiles' head. As soon as Stiles finished closing the blinds, he grabbed her arm and pulled heragainst him so that her back was against his chest.

With his arms tightly around her. "Terri, I didnt' sleep with that girl last night." Stiles paused then asked the question that he needed an answer to most. "You didn't sleep with him, not even when he kept insisting like you said he did?"

"No, I broke up with him! I wanted to leave him in the rain and hope for lightening to strike, but I didn't think Bailey would forgive me," Terri answered as she struggled to pull herself free. "He was supposed to be gone that morning. I wasn't expecting you…"

Stiles loosened his grip just enough to give her a little breathing room. "Terri, I didn't sleep with her either."

"I've heard that line before."

"Not from me you haven't. Terri, stop fighting me. I am not Jeff Lowell. I have not slept with another woman since we've been together." Stiles turned her around so she was facing him. "Please look at me."

She refused, still struggling free herself. "Let—me—go!"

"Not until you agree to listen to me."

After a long pause, Terri finally answered him, angry that he had the upper hand. "Fine."

Stiles leaned down and kissed the top of her head before letting her go. Terri jerked her arms loose as Stiles let go and walked to the opposite side of the room, folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. In her head was the image of him on their couch with his hands all over "the other woman." She didn't want him to touch her.

"Things had gone so well for us before the conference and then you came to Chicago and it was great. I wanted to surprise you so I didn't tell you when I found out I was coming home early. Chance was waiting for me at the airport; he said I needed to get to Iraq right away, but he knew I'd want to see you so he took me by the house.

When I didn't see you downstairs, I went up to your room. That's when I saw Matt sitting on your bed," Stiles rolled his eyes, "in all his glory. He looked up at me and grinned when I asked what he was doing there. He said he was "visiting his girl." You have no idea how badly I wanted to kill him right then."

Terri wasn't at all moved by Stiles' explanation. "And you just assumed I slept with him—after I told you I wasn't going to see him anymore?"

"What was I supposed to think? You're gone, he's sitting on your bed naked and when I ask about you I look up and he's holding one of your gowns—the same one you were wearing in Chicago! Then he grins and tells me how it looked even better with you in it. I figured he was the reason you didn't call me back that night."

"I told you that I couldn't call you back because the phone lines were down. Stiles, why didn't you talk to me that morning before you left, you could have called me; Joshua did."

"I'm talking to you now! Why didn't you use your cell to call me back?"

"Stiles, I would have used my cell, but I didn't want to be anywhere near him and it was on the table by the couch. If he had touched me one more time, I would have ended up in jail that night."

Stiles was concerned about what Callan had done or at least tried to do to her. "What do you mean if he touched you one more time?"

Terri sighed. She really didn't want to talk about Matt's advances; that was one more thing she felt stupid about. If she'd just stopped seeing him sooner, that night wouldn't have happened. "Nothing, I told you I could handle him and I did, by staying upstairs."

"Fine, that explains why you didn't call, but it doesn't explain what was he doing in your bedroom at 8:00am with no clothes on."

"I told you I don't know why he was in there! I just know where I was. I slept in your room and he was supposed to be on the couch. I didn't see him that morning before I left. I thought he was gone."

"Terri, why was he even the house?"

Terri sighed. She knew Stiles wasn't going to like her explanation. "I wanted to tell him in person that I was going to work on our marriage, that I couldn't see him anymore."

"You could have told him that over the phone, in his office, in the garage! You didn't need to have dinner to do that. We had this same ridiculous conversation when you were having dinner with Jeff! You wanted to see him, admit it!"

Terri growled at him in frustration. "Stiles, I don't do things that way, you know that. I had no reason to think…Why am I even arguing with you about this? I handled it! It was too dangerous to go out, so I let Matt stay on the couch. That's it! Nothing happened, but you could have asked me that weeks ago!"

"I had two hours Terri, most of which was spent in meetings. I came down here to look for you and where were you? Doing some project for the boyfriend!"

"Ex-boy…"

Stiles rolled his eyes when Terri attempted to correct him. "Whatever. What was I supposed to think after I saw him, then you were out of the building? By that time, I thought you knew I was back and leaving for Iraq. After what we'd been through I just…I was done. I thought you wanted him. I'd been fighting your amnesia and then Matt for almost a year. I did the research; I knew there was little hope of you remembering after the first couple of months."

"Okay, so you thought I wanted him, but like I said, you should have talked to me. Instead, you did what you always do—jumped to conclusions!"

Stiles huffed ignoring her question and continued in his previous line of thought, but in a softer tone. "I thought we would make progress when you moved into the house all those months ago and we did, but you kept right on seeing him. Then we spent the night together after Carson and Liz's party. I was sure you would dump him. Terri, I was so excited when you told me you wanted us to stay together, I fell off the bed! I thought we were going to be okay."

"And you let five minutes with Matt change your mind? You should have known I wouldn't…you should have trusted me."

"That's real easy for you to say. This was your show, has been all along. I was sitting around for a year waiting for you to throw me a bone! The last thing I wanted to hear after we finally made love was that you hadn't broken up with him! If you wanted me, if you really wanted _us_ you would have told him the day I left for Chicago—over the phone!"

"Stiles, I'm not going to argue how or when I told Matt I wasn't going to see him. That's not what this is about."

"You're right Terri, it's about…" For a moment, Stiles wasn't sure why they were arguing. In the back of his mind, he'd accepted that she hadn't slept with Matt and he'd already told her he didn't sleep with Brandy. Yet, they were still yelling at each other. He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to calm himself. As he did, he admitted to himself why he was still questioning her—he was hurt. That's what it was about.


	63. Laying It On the Line, Part 3

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Previously…**

"Stiles, I'm not going to argue how or when I told Matt I wasn't going to see him. That's not what this is about."

"You're right Terri, it's about…" For a moment, Stiles wasn't sure why they were arguing. In the back of his mind, he'd accepted that she hadn't slept with Matt and he'd already told her he didn't sleep with Brandy. Yet, they were still yelling at each other. He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to calm himself. As he did, he admitted to himself why he was still questioning her—he was hurt. That's what it was about.

**Part 62: Laying it on the Line, Part 3**

Stiles leaned against the door and lowered his voice. "You told Bailey I knew how long it had been since we made love."

"What does that have to do with…?"

"Out of nowhere, Chance starts laughing when he was driving me home. When I finally got him to stop, he looks at me and starts up again. He was laughing so hard I barely understood him when he told me he knew. Ten minutes later, I'm staring at a naked man on my wife's bed. Then, when I get to OTS that morning, I find out that you're working on something for Callan.

Terri, when I got on that plane to Iraq, my mind was racing. All I could think about was you, Chance and Bailey laughing at me, and HIM sitting on your bed buck-naked. I didn't care what happened to me at that point. It didn't matter if I came home or not if you weren't going to be there when I got back."

Terri was beginning to feel bad. Her mind wandered back to what Bailey's comment that Stiles told his captors that he didn't care if he came home. She was letting herself see things from his perspective and what she saw was ugly. "Stiles I…"

"Terri, the only thing I've wanted for the past year was to be your husband, for you to remember, for us to live our lives—together. When I finished briefing last night, Chance told me to go home to my wife. I didn't think my wife would be there. I wanted to get drunk and forget about my life for a while. I just wanted to stop hurting. Everything else…it just happened."

That's when Stiles lost her. Terri was feeling badly when Stiles first started explaining how sad he was. As soon as he mentioned "everything else," Terri got angry again as images of her ex-husband flooded her mind.

"It just happened? What, that bimbo got you drunk, dragged you home, and forced your tongue down her throat and your hands up her shirt? Oh wait, when I saw her she wasn't wearing a shirt!"

Stiles couldn't believe she was attacking him again after what he'd just told her. "Oh that's nice. Until 10 minutes ago, I thought you'd slept with Callan so yeah; I kissed her, but so what? It was one night, not a year!"

"It wasn't a year, it was only… "

"Please Terri! Don't get all self-righteous on me! You're hardly innocent here. It doesn't matter exactly how long you were seeing him. That's not the point! You may not have slept with him, but come on; you don't actually expect me to believe that nothing happened all those months? How do you think I felt watching my wife _date_ another guy? How many times was I sitting in my room eating take out while some other guy is in my dining room enjoying a candle lit dinner with my wife! What you were giving him for dessert, huh? How many times was your tongue down his throat and his hands up your shirt?"

Stiles could see the fury radiating from Terri as she came towards him. Part of it was because she was insulted and the other part was because she knew he was at least partially right.

"How dare you! I am not some two bit whore…"

Stiles grabbed her arm as she reached to slap him. He'd pulled her close enough to him that he could tell she was fighting back tears. "Let go!"

He looked at her eyes as the tears glistened and sighed. Although part of him wanted to hurt her as much as she'd hurt him, what he really wanted his wife back. He took a deep breath, let go of her arm, and started over.

"I was drunk and she wanted me. Terri, it felt good to be wanted." He mumbled, then sighed and looked at her; her expression hadn't changed. She still was obviously very angry rubbing her arm where he'd grabbed her.

"Terri I thought you left me—for your best friend's brother, a guy you had a relationship with before me."

"I wasn't seeing him before!"

"Even if it wasn't romantic then, I know he'd wanted it to be and I'm not convinced you didn't too. I thought you were gone. Our anniversary had passed and as far as I knew, you still didn't remember. I had no reason to believe I had a wife to come home to. I'm sorry you saw what you did, but I promise you I did not sleep with her. I sent her home. I told her I made a vow to you and no matter what I wouldn't break it. That's the truth."

Terri didn't move except to wipe away the few tears that were forming. She mulled over what Stiles had told her. He looked pitiful, standing there pouring his heart out, tears in his eyes, and she wanted to believe him, but she was scared. She wasn't going to be made the fool of by a cheating husband—not this time.

"What about the frame?"

"What frame?"

"The one our wedding picture was in!"

Stiles wondered why the broken frame mattered to her, but he didn't ask. "I threw my journal at it after I told her to leave. I was angry; I thought you were with him last night. Terri, I wanted to drink until I passed out. I just wanted to forget."

Neither said anything. They just stood staring at each other in silence for several minutes each trying to imagine what the other was thinking.


	64. Laying It On the Line, Part 4

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Previously…**

Stiles wondered why the broken frame mattered to her, but he didn't ask. "I threw my journal at it after I told her to leave. I was angry; I thought you were with him last night. Terri, I wanted to drink until I passed out. I just wanted to forget."

Neither said anything. They just stood staring at the floor in silence for several minutes each trying to imagine what the other was thinking.

**Part 63: Laying it on the Line, Part 4**

Terri was the first to speak. She unfolded her arms and relaxed a little. "I read it."

Stiles looked up. "Read what?"

"Your 'Dear Terri' diary."

"Journal; it's a journal. And what do you mean, you read it?" Stiles tried to sound angry, but he was actually glad she'd seen it; maybe she'd believe he couldn't cheat on her.

"It said 'Dear Terri' on the front so …"

"How much did you read?"

Terri winced; she couldn't tell if he really was upset. "All of it. I found it while you were in Chicago, before I came. Reading those letters made me want to remember; I was rereading some of them while I was waiting for you last night."

"I can't believe you read it. I mean, it's okay, I just..." He didn't know how to say what he was thinking. He was glad she knew how he felt. She read how he felt about her and it made her want to remember. "You wanted to remember us after you read what I wrote?"

Terri smiled as she thought about some of the touching things he'd written to her and shook her head. "Yeah, what you wrote about the night before you went to Chicago was really sweet. You said a lot of nice things about us, about me."

Stiles remembered that night very well. He'd been too ashamed to write how he tried to get her to sleep with him that night, but the next morning he couldn't wait to write how the night ended with her falling asleep in his arms. He saw Terri's smile and took it as an opportunity to move in. "I wrote those things because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

He walked to her and held out his arms. He'd wanted to hold her for so long; he just hoped she wouldn't turn him down. Terri thought about it briefly; she wasn't sure she was ready to forgive him. She walked slowly towards him and stopped just before she reached his outstretched arms.

Stiles' arms dropped to his side as he sighed. "What?"

"There's one thing I still don't understand. I told you I got my memory back and that I loved you when I was using the transmitter. You should have known I'd be waiting for you."

Stiles leaned against the door, sinking slowly to the floor. "I heard Carl tell you to tell me you loved me. I was losing it and I knew it. I figured he just wanted me to get my head together before I lost it completely. Imust havelost consciousness not long after that. I had no idea you got your memory back until Joshua and Chance mentioned it earlier today."

Terri was anxiously pacing the floor in front of Joshua's desk. She had to move to think. Stiles watched her for a couple of minutes then stood up and gently touched her arm, stopping her movement. "Baby I am sorry about last night. Tell me what you need me to do to make things right between us; I'll do whatever it takes, I just want you back. I want us back."

Terri didn't know what to say; she wanted him too, but she couldn't get the image of him on the couch with "the other woman" out of her head. She studied him, looking into his eyes for some clue to his sincerity. What she saw was the glisten of unshed tears.

Stiles watched her carefully; he could tell she was trying to make a decision. "Terri, I love you and I don't want to be anywhere else or with anyone else. I need you; I need us and I think you do too." He didn't mumble it this time. As he finished, one tear escaped and rolled down his cheek.

Terri finally moved. She wiped his tear away as her own started to fall. "I love you too and I'm sorry about everything: that I was so mean to you in the beginning; that I wouldn't talk to you; that I was seeing someone else. All those months, I didn't even think about how it must have hurt you to see Matt and me…."

Stiles didn't want to hear any more about Matt Callan. He leaned into her and put his finger to her lips stopping her apology. He'd heard all he needed to hear."Nothing matters now but you and me."

Terri gave him a slight smile. Stiles looked down and smiled back at her when he saw what she was wearing. "You got the necklace."

Terri reached up and felt the ornament around her neck. She'd forgotten she was still wearing it. She backed away from him slightly as she thought about the day Bailey gave it to her.

"Carl insisted that we take turns sleeping for a couple of hours at a time. I didn't want to go." Terri paused as her voice began to crack. "I could barely keep my eyes open, but I didn't want to leave you, not that day." Terri stopped walking and faced her husband. "Did you hear anything I said to you that morning?"

Stiles shook his head no. _If I'd heard you talking about our anniversary, I may have believed you._ "What did you say?"

Terri wiped a tear from her cheek before continuing. "I told you how much I love you. I talked about our wedding. I told you I wanted you to hang on and come home. Stiles, walking away from that microphone was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I didn't know if you were conscious or if you were even alive; I felt like I was abandoning you."

Stiles stood quietly listening to her. Oh how he wished he'd known she was telling the truth.

Terri laid her hand on her chest as she was talking. She smiled a little as she felt her necklace again. "Bailey took me up to her office and gave this to me before I went to sleep."

"I wanted you to have it on our anniversary whether you remembered it or not. I'm glad she thought to give it to you. Do you like it?"

"Stiles it's beautiful, I love it! I didn't realize there was another piece."

"There wasn't. Granddad found the son of the original jeweler. He made it just for you." Stiles smiled and momentarily forgot why they were locked in Joshua's office.

"Thank you. It meant a lot to me to have it that day."

Stiles kissed the tip of Terri's nose as he wiped freshtears from her cheeks. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," was all she could choke out.

"Terri, please tell me."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to compose herself. "When I woke up…when Bailey came to get me, I thought she was telling me you'd been killed. I had this awful dream that… Stiles, they were kidnapping people and murdering hostages the entire time you were over there and…"

Stiles pulled her into an embrace once again. "I'm okay. I'm right here. You can't get rid of me that easily." He thought it best not to mention how often he'd wished they would kill him.

As soon as Terri relaxed, Stiles kissed her. It was the type of long passionate kiss he couldn't get with a woman he picked up from a bar, the type of kiss he could only get from the woman he was madly in love with—his wife; HIS wife.

When the kiss ended, Stiles opened his eyes and saw Terri smiling up at him. Her smile was contagious.

"What's that for?"

"What?"

"That smile."

"I'm happy." Terri reached up and gently touched his face. "Stiles?"

"Yeah."

"Does it hurt?"

"My face?"

Terri nodded.

"It's a little sore. All of me is a little sore, but I'll be okay. I'm home with you and that's all that matters right now. That pain is nothing compared to having to live without you."

Terri hugged her husband. "I know you told them I didn't care about you. Chance told me about him laughing and I thought that was all it was. I had no idea… I'm so sorry you had to go through what you did feeling so alone."

"Shh" Stiles leaned down and kissed her again. "Just promise me I won't be that alone again."

Terri sighed contentedly and looked up. "I promise. Maybe we can finally start the life we were supposed to a year ago."

"I'd be content to stand right here a while longer and just hold you. I'm never letting you go, you know that right?"

"Good." She followed that up by standing on her toes and kissing him again as Stiles leaned against Joshua's desk.


	65. Depositions

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 65: Depositions**

Carl pulled Matt aside after he finished the staff meeting. "Stop by my office in10 minutes."

"Yes Sir." Matt felt a knot forming in his stomach. The morning meeting went on as though the mess in OTS never happened. No one mentioned it once they were on the elevator. Matt hoped Carl wouldn't bring it up, at least not today. He would have only 10 minutes to come up with something.

Matt gathered his things then stopped by the men's room to see if Stiles had done any damage to his face. Matt walked to the mirror and stared at himself then traced the bruises that were starting to form. After spending nearly 10 minutes cursing himself for letting Stiles get near him, Matt slowly made his way to Carl's office.

"Come in Matt, have a seat."

Matt sat down and held his breath.

"Has something new come up in Pakistan that we need to discuss?"

Carl didn't bother answering Matt. He got right to the point. "Why was Stiles trying to knock you unconscious?"

Matt sighed. This wasn't going to be pleasant. If he told the truth, he would come off as the bad guy. He had a better chance of redeeming himself if he lied.

"He has some issues with me of a personal nature."

"Would you care to elaborate?"

"Uh, actually no. It doesn't concern our jobs."

"Alright, I'll rephrase. Elaborate! What I saw most certainly concerns your jobs. I can't have two high-level members of my staff having a brawl in the art department." Carl was certain their "personal" issue had to do with Terri. Stiles' conversation with his captors about Terri's boyfriend and his subsequent reaction to Matt confirmed his suspicion that more was going on than he'd been told.

Matt decided to lay it on the table and see what happened. "He thinks I'm sleeping with his wife."

"He thinks you're sleeping with Terri? Are you?"

Matt just looked at Carl for a few seconds; he didn't expect Carl to be so blunt.

"No! He's just paranoid. She didn't want anything to do with him and he blamed me—she and I are friends, you know that." 'A_t least we were."_

"That's it? He just assumed you two were having an affair?"

"I'm afraid so sir."

"I know he's been under a lot of stress lately and I understand things have been difficult at home, but I can't have an officer assaulting a member of my staff. I'll talk to Mr. Stiles first thing tomorrow morning. Thank you for your candor; that's all."

"That's all?"

"Yes, unless there's something else you would like to add."

Matt briefly looked down at his hands then back up at Carl. There was a lot more he could have added, but he didn't know where to start. He'd already half lied. Saying more could make things worse. He would just have to hope that Stiles sounded paranoid enough that Carl wouldn't believe whatever he said. He'd just have to hope. "Uh no sir, there's nothing else."

"Good. Thank you."

Carl picked up his phone as soon as Matt left. He knew there had to be more to the story than Matt said. The country was in too big a mess for him to have to worry about his staff botching assignments because of "personal" issues.

"Joshua, is Mr. Stiles still in your office?"

Joshua told him Stiles was gone.

"What about Terri?"

"Mrs. Stiles? I sent her home to look after her husband."

"Have her come to my office first thing tomorrow morning."

"Yes sir."

Carl had one more phone call to make.

"Chancellor"

"Chance I need to see you in my office."

"I'm on my way."

Chance didn't like the feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew Carl was upset about what happened in OTS and he knew he'd talked to Matt. Things may not be looking so good for his friend.

"Sir"

"I know Mr. Stiles is your friend and of course Matt is your brother-in-law so you have a stake in this either way. I need your complete honesty here though.

"Of course."

"What's going on between the two of them?"

Chance let out a heavy sigh and sat down. "They don't like each other."

"I've been aware of that for some time, but so far it hasn't affected their work so I've overlooked it. What else? What made Stiles feel the need to punch Matt this morning?"

"Terri"

"Terri?"

"Carl, Matt feels like Stiles took her from him. Her amnesia gave him a second chance with her, or so he thought. There was quite a bit of manipulation involved." Chance hesitated. He wasn't sure if he should tell Carl that Matt sent Stiles off to Iraq knowing the fragile state of mind he was in, that he was to blame for that state of mind.

"Go on."

"I just found out that Matt allowed Stiles to think that he was sleeping with Terri."

"He isn't, er wasn't?"

"No. He also insisted that Stiles go to Iraq knowing that he wouldn't have a chance to talk to Terri about it. Based on what I know now, I wouldn't have allowed him to go on that mission. Actually, I probably shouldn't have let him go with what I did know. I regret not talking to you about it."

Carl sighed and shook his head. "Why don't you start at the beginning and tell me what happened."

Chance shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He was afraid this would happen. "You know that Matt and Terri were seeing each other." Carl shook his head. He found it curious that Matt left out the part about the two of them dating.

"Well, Terri moved in with Bailey after she came back to work. After Bay and I got married, Terri moved into the house with Stiles. Naturally, they started spending more time together and eventually, she fell in love with him again."

"Where does Matt come in?"

"They started seeing each other not long after he was appointed liaison. They saw less of each other after she moved home, but from what I understand, he was at the house regularly.

Like I said, Terri fell in love with Stiles, but she never really broke up with Matt. They hadn't seen much of each other outside the office lately, but technically, at least as far as Matt was concerned, they were still dating. While Stiles was at that conference in Chicagos, he invited Matt over to the house to make the breakup official." Chance hesitated again when he got to that night. He really had no idea what to say.

"Chance, I'm assuming there's more to this story?"

"Yes sir. She broke up with him the night we had that last set of bad storms. They were telling people not to go out so even though she'd broken up with him, Terri let Matt stay on the couch. The next morning, I picked Stiles up from the airport and took him home so he could get a change of clothes and see Terri. When we got there, Matt was still there."

Carl shook his head in disbelief just thinking about what must have happened.

"Matt was in Terri's bedroom, sitting on her bed with nothing on. Stiles got quite an eyeful."

"Why didn't he get this cleared up before he left? Why didn't you make sure he got it cleared up before he left?"

"Stiles told me Terri wasn't at home, but he didn't tell me he saw Matt. He went to OTS after our meeting here." Chance paused. "That's when we found out Terri was at HLS working on something for Matt."

"So right before we sent him to Iraq, Mr. Stiles walked into his house to find Mr. Callan sitting on his wife's bed, naked?"

"Right."

"He attempted to talk to Terri before he left only to find that she was out of the building doing work for Matt?"

"Yes"

"Why didn't we call her or get her back over here?"

"Joshua tried, but there wasn't enough time. If I had known…I told Matt I didn't think Stiles was in the right frame of mind, but I had no idea what he'd seen that morning. Then Stiles told me he'd go. So when Matt called and said we needed to hurry, we did.

Stiles had just had all he could take. Between Terri's amnesia, the stupid comment I made to him on the way to his house and seeing Matt in Terri's room, he lost it."

Carl exhaled sharply as he contemplated everything Chance had just told him. Things were worse than he'd imagined.

"Carl, I should have talked to you before Stiles left, but I just wanted to trust Matt's judgment."

"Yes, you should have talked to me, but we'll talk about that later. Why was Stiles even here this morning? He saw Matt when he came in last night. Is there something else I don't know?"

Chance nodded. "He and Matt ran into each other before they got to my office last night. I can only imagine what transpired between them. We probably don't want to know." Chance added under his breath.

"So Stiles went to Iraq thinking, not only that his wife was making fun of him, but that she was having an affair? This is the man we sent to infiltrate the world's largest terror organization?" Carl didn't expect an answer; he'd already heard more than he wanted to hear about the whole mess.

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you."

"Anything else?"

"No, I think I have all of the information I need. We'll discuss your role in this later."

Chance walked out not quite knowing what to think. Matt and Stiles would have to live with the consequences of their actions, whatever they may be. However, he was relieved that he told the truth and he just hoped that under the circumstances, Carl would go easy on Stiles; he'd been through enough already.


	66. Helen and Evan

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 66: Helen and Evan**

Terri and Stiles held hands and smiled at each other the entire ride home. Terri could barely get her key in the door as Stiles tried to undress her on the front porch.

"Honey, take a breath; I need to unlock the door. I promise we can continue this inside."

Terri dug out her key and unlocked the door. True to her word, they did continue once they got inside. Stiles had Terri on the couch before she could put down her bag.

* * *

Helen Freemont was taking dishes out of the dishwasher whens he heard the door open. Her husband peeked around the corner and saw his daughter and son-in-law making out on their couch. 

"What's going on out there? Call the police."

"Helen, calm down, it's just Terri and A.B. and itlooks like they've made up."

Helen frowned and headed for the door. Evan stopped her before she got the door open. "What?"

"I think we should give them some time alone and excuse ourselves through the back door."

Helen furrowed her brow. There was no way Terri would have forgiven him. Evan made a similar gesture but with a look of resignation on his face.

Helen responded by putting her hand on her hip. "I'm not leaving until I talk some sense into her. After what she went through with the other one, after what _we_ went through with her the past year, I'm not going anywhere unless he leaves or she comes with us!"

"Helen, this is her life…"

Things were heating up in the living room when Terri felt something sharp in the middle of her back. She moved Stiles off her to see what it was. She was on her feet as soon as she figured it out.

Stiles jumped up too, not knowing the reason behind Terri's sudden movement. "What, what's wrong?"

"This is what's wrong!" Terri screamed as she held up a hair ornament, the tacky kind Terri would never look at let alone put in her hair. Looking at the ornament, Terri's mind went into overdrive. He was on this couch, groping another woman much as he was just doing to her. Maybe he had slept with her after all. Maybe he lied to her…

Evan had one hand t outside door and the other on his wife's arm when they heard Terri screaming at Stiles.

Stiles just stared at the hair clip. He'd never seen it, and he had no idea why Terri was so upset. Why didn't she just throw it on the table? Stiles took the offending item from Terri's hand and tossed it on the table as he reached for her. She pulled away from him and looked around the room. The remnants of the picture frame were gone and the photo was back up on the mantle. All of the beer cans were gone as well.

"I see you cleaned up before you left this morning." Terri threw out sarcastically as she rebuttoned her blouse.

It was Stiles' turn to look around. The room was spotless and he hadn't done it. He was in too big a hurry to leave to be bothered with cleaning.

"I didn't..."

Terri stared at Stiles as if he had horns growing out of his head. "I've had enough for one day Stiles. I'm going upstairs. Maybe you should call your girlfriend to see if she wants an encore!"

Stiles was heading after her when he ran into his in-laws.

"Helen, Evan what are you doing here?"

Helen frowned at her son-in-law. She had a mind to smack him after what Terri told her. "Terri was so upset when she called this morning that we came over. I didn't think she was going to work. When we got here and saw the mess, we cleaned up so she wouldn't have a reminder of your infidelity."

Stiles looked down at his feet, "Oh"

"Oh is all you have to say? How could you? You hung in there for a year. Now she finally wants to work things out and you do something stupid."

"Helen…"

Evan Freemont interrupted when he saw the look on his wife's face. "How could you do this to her after everything you've been through? It is Jeff all over again. You made a promise to her, a vow before God that you would be faithful to her and not only did you cheat on her it was with some tramp you picked up at a bar!"

"Maybe he's been seeing her all along."

"Evan that was a cheap shot!" Stiles threw his hands in the air. "I did not sleep with that woman last night or any other night! I told Terri that. I thought we had all of that cleared up."

Helen had both arms crossed over her chest as she looked at Stiles. "Well it certainly didn't sound like it a minute ago. Where is she and why do you look like you've been in a street brawl?"

"Upstairs. I was heading up to talk to her."

Evan ignored Stiles' earlier outburst and tried a calmer approach. "I think you better talk to us first. What happened last night?"

Stiles really didn't want to explain, but it didn't look like he had a choice. He paced as he started the long story--again.

"I thought Terri was sleeping with Matt. I came home from a trip early and found him here sitting on her bed au naturelle. If not for the towel he was drying himself with, I would have seen way more of him than I I'd ever want to. One of her gowns was on the bed next to him."

"She wouldn't. She didn't..." Helen whispered, "did she?"

Stiles shook his head. "No Helen, she didn't, but I didn't know that until today and I saw him here three weeks ago. It's a long story, but suffice it to say I got an emergency assignment and I had to leave before I could talk to her. When I got back last night, I didn't want to come home right away. All I could think about was that Terrihad left me for Matt. I was upset and I just wanted to forget."

"So sleeping with some bimbo helped?"

Stiles just looked at his father-in-law. It was obvious that neither he nor Helen was the least bit sympathetic and he felt like he was being attacked.

"No, I told you that.I wanted to have a little fun, drink a little. Turns out it was more than a little. This girl started talking to me. She was nice and I…" Stiles hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "I was hurt and sad and a little lonely. We talked and drank. I couldn't drive myself home so she did. We did not have sex, okay, I couldn't. I looked up and saw our wedding picture on the mantle. I thought about the vow I made to Terri and I couldn't do it even though I thought she and Matt…"

Stiles flopped on the couch and put his hands with his hands over his face. He was so tired of everything. "I had no idea she was here. I didn't know she'd regained her memory. All I could think about was how I was coming home to an empty house again. She's been practically ignoring me for months, flaunting her relationship with my boss and I thought she…I couldn't take it anymore."

Neither of the room's other occupants looked moved so Stiles continued.

"I've already apologized to her. I thought we were okay and then she found this," Stiles held up the hair clip, "and started accusing me again." Stiles stood up and walked to the mantle, picking up his wedding picture. He loved her more than he thought possible, but with just like everything else the past year, they took one step forward and three backward. "I don't know what to do."

Helen and Evan looked at each other. He sounded sincere. "Okay, but none of that explains what happened to your face. Did she hit you?"

Stiles couldn't help the smile that crept across his face as he thought about his first encounter with Terri Lowell. "No, she didn't hit me, it's just a hazard of the job."

Helen and Evan looked at each other; they knew they didn't really want to know what their daughter and son-in-law really did for the CIA.

Evan patted Stiles on the back. "Maybe we should talk to her. She's scared. She's sensitive about fidelity after going through so much with Jeff. I've never seen her as down as she was when she found out he was cheating on her the second time."

"I am not Jeff!" Both Freemonts jumped when Stiles raised his voice. "I'm sorry; it's just that I just had this same conversation with Terri. I didn't sleep with that woman."

Evan stood by Stiles and patted him on the shoulder. "I believe you. Let me talk to her."

Stiles nodded and sat down again.Helen sat next to him and put her arm around him. As angry as she had been when Terri called, she adored her son-in-law andthe look on his face told her her was telling the truth.


	67. MotherInLaw Knows Best

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Previously…**

**Part 67: Mother-in-Law Knows best.**

"Terri"

"Daddy, what are you doing here?"

"Your mom and I came to check on you. We just talked to A.B. He said he thought things were okay between you."

"Did he tell you his side of what happened last night?"

"He did. He also said he sent the girl home without sleeping with her. You don't believe him?"

Terri sighed and fell into her father's arms. "Daddy I don't know what to believe. He explained everything to me earlier and I thought I was okay. Then we get home and I find this tacky hair thing in the couch that has to belong to her. Everything with Jeff came rushing back; he swore nothing happened too. I don't know what to believe anymore."

"Sweetheart, I know this must be very hard for you, but he seemed sincere. What is this about you having relations with Matt Callan?"

"That didn't happen. I told him that."

"You want him to believe you but you won't do the same for him? Honey, he's been through a lot the past year …"

Terri pulled away from her father and glared at him. "You're defending him now? What about me, I've been through a lot the last year too. No one seems to get that! Do you have any idea what its like not to remember your life?" Terri didn't give him a chance to respond. "No, I don't think you do!"

"Terri, you're right, I don't know how difficult things have been for you. I'm not trying to minimize what you've been through, but I also can't imagine what it was like for him to walk in here and see his boss sitting on your bed wearing nothing but a towel with one of your gowns on the bed next to him. I'm not so sure I wouldn't have come to the same conclusion."

Terri was now off the bed staring out the window, her back to her father. "Stiles and I flew back from New York on the same flight a couple of months ago. Did he tell you that?"

Terri nodded yes. "We talked in the airport and on the flight. He told me he'd walked in on you and Matt kissing one night. He also said it wasn't the first time. Can you really blame him for having enough and picking up some girl?"

Terri spun around to face her father. "Daddy, I know that wasn't easy for him, but I did have amnesia. Besides, that was months ago and I didn't sleep with Matt then either! A lot has happened since then. I bet he didn't tell you I told him I wasn't seeing Matt anymore or that I flew up to to see him at that conferenceright before he left on his trip, did he?"

"No, he didn't."

"I didn't think so. As far as I knew, things were going well for us before he left. I didn't know he saw Matt here."

Evan sighed. This was a mess. "Honey, did you tell him you didn't sleep with Matt before or after he said he didn't sleep with this other woman?"

"After. Why?"

"If he thought you were leaving him, he had no reason to say he didn't sleep with her."

* * *

While Evan was trying to reason with Terri, Helen was doing the same with Stiles. 

Stiles looked down at his wedding picture which was lying on the coffee table. He was so happy that day. He set it back down and turned to Helen.

"She's not coming back down. Helen, I don't know what else to do. We have been through this so many times the past year. Things seem to be going well then she pulls away from me. It's probably over; I just can't fight anymore. I give up." Stiles stood up and pulled out his car keys. "Look, I'm going for a drive. Thanks for cleaning up."

Helen stood up and blocked his path. "Wait just a minute. Come here."

"Helen I really don't want to talk about this anymore."

"I'm not asking. Now sit."

Stiles rolled his eyes, '_Great,_ _more orders,'_andbriefly considered ignoring her, but he knew better.

"I know how much you love my daughter and I believe you when you say that you didn't have sex with that girl last night."

Stiles finally looked at her; she had his attention. "Thank you for believing me. Why can't she do the same?"

"It's easier for me, you're not my husband. After Jeff, she swore she would never be taken advantage of again. She felt like a fool when she found out how many people knew he was cheating on her. Like the cliché, she was the last to know. Well, I think she knew and didn't want to deal with it at first. Anyway, she loves you and she wants to believe you I'm sure, but she's afraid to."

"Helen, I have never lied to her, she knows that. I'm just tired of trying to convince her I didn't do anything other than what she saw. She can date and make out with another guy right under my nose and expect me to forgive her and yet she can't forgive me for one tiny slip of judgment after everything I've been through."

Helen patted him on the knee. She believed that he was right and Terri was wrong, but Helen didn't know how to make things right for him.

"Honey, I hate seeing you so sad." Helen really looked at him for the first time. "You really do look awful. Are you okay?"

Stiles smiled. "Yes mom I'll be fine—physically anyway."

"Don't worry, Evan's talking to her; he should be able to set her straight."

Stiles leaned over and kissed his mother-in-law on the cheek. "Thanks Helen. I'm going to go up there and see what's going on."

Before Stiles hit the first step, he noticed Evan and Terri were coming down. Terri had an overnight bag in her hand.


	68. Time to Think and Goodbye Terri

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Previously…**

Stiles leaned over and kissed his mother-in-law on the cheek. "Thanks Helen. Listen, I'm going to go up there and see what's going on."

Before Stiles hit the first step, he stopped. Evan and Terri were coming down. Terri had an overnight bag in her hand.

**Part 68: Time to Think**

"What's going on? You going somewhere?"

Terri turned and brushed past Stiles on her way to the back door. "I'm spending the night with mom and dad tonight."

Helen stood with her mouth hanging open, but recovered quickly and blocked Terri's path. "You most certainly are not! Evan, I can't believe you told her she could."

Evan shrugged. "I tried."

"No ma'am. You are not running away. You are going to stay right here and talk to your husband."

The two women continued their argument while Evan and Stiles stood in the background.

"No mom, I'm not. I need some time alone to think. If you don't want me at the house, that's fine, I'll stay at a hotel."

"Stop it, both of you! Helen it's okay. Terri, do whatever you want. I don't care. I sat here like a lovesick fool for too long. I kept my mouth shut when your boyfriend threw your relationship in my face. I ate leftovers in my bedroom while the two of you had dinner in my dining room and I smiled when you ignored me time and again. This morning, I practically begged you to forgive me for something that didn't happen—at least not what you're accusing me of. Terri, I'm done. I'm too tired to care anymore. Helen, Evan thanks for trying, but it's just not worth it. I've had enough."

Helen, Evan, and Terri stood in shock as Stiles walked upstairs. The calm resolve in his voice let them know he meant what he said.

When Helen recovered, she turned on her daughter. "See what you've done? Theresa, I have had enough too. He is your husband. You made a vow to stick with him and by golly, that's what you are going to do. You haven't even given him a chance! It is no wonder he's taken to drinking and picking up other women. Go talk to him!"

Terri refused. "Mom, you heard him, he doesn't care. I need to go."

Helen looked at her husband and shook her head in disbelief. "Now what?" Evan shrugged in defeat as Terri walked into the kitchen.

Terri wasn't sure what to think about Stiles' speech. Part of her thought he was just letting off steam; the other was suddenly worried that he might actually not care anymore. When she got to the kitchen, she wrote him a note. "Stiles, I'm not running away. I do want to talk to you; I just need to clear my head. Things have happened so fast I don't know which way is up. I will see you in the office tomorrow. Terri." She stuck the note on the refrigerator and walked away. When she got to the kitchen door, she stopped and went back.

Helen was waiting for her when she came out. "I am so disappointed and ashamed of you. I never thought I would have a reason to say that to you."

"Mom, I swore I would never put up with a cheating husband again. You know that."

"You're being a little hypocritical don't you think?"

"Hypocritical? I'm not the one who slept with some floozy I picked up at a bar!"

Helen was sick of Terri's excuses; she thought her daughter was being unreasonable. "You won't put up with a cheating husband, but you want him to put up with a cheating wife. That man sat around for nearly a year watching you parade another man in front of him. He thinks things are finally on their way back to normal then walks in your bedroom to find the other man sitting on your bed half-naked. You were nowhere around; what was he supposed to think? What were you thinking letting Matt stay here anyway? Why was he even here?"

"Mom, Stiles knows why he was here—I was breaking up with him. I couldn't let him drive home in the middle of a tornado warning. I knew nothing was going to happen and after what I said to him, he should have known nothing was going to happen!"

Evan had to step in and say something before things got any worse between the two women in his life. "Okay, okay, you two. Terri, I think he's telling the truth about what happened. I don't think he slept with that girl. Even if he did, it was truly extenuating circumstances, not like Jeff. A.B. loves you sweetheart, and we know you love him."

While Evan said his piece, Helen calmed down, but she still wanted to finish giving her two cents.

"He's stood by while you treated him horribly. He was obviously in pain emotionally and you kept stepping all over him. Yet he still kept coming back for more. Did you see the look on his face? I saw utter defeat. He doesn't deserve that and you know it. I tried to warn you. Your father warned you that the worse you treated him the harder it would be when you remembered. I love you darling, but I'm not so sure that you deserve A.B."

Terri looked at her parents in disbelief. She wanted to believe Stiles was telling the truth, but she was annoyed that her parents weren't more supportive. "You're taking up for him? I can't believe my parents are taking up for my cheating husband!"

"Terri…"

"Forget it mother, I'm leaving. The three of you can have each other!" Terri picked up her bag and was on her way out the front door when Stiles walked out of the kitchen with an overnight bag of his own.

* * *

**Part 69: "Goodbye Terri"**

"Terri you stay, I'll go. I bought this house because it was what you always wanted. You should have it."

Terri threw her hands up in the air. "Why are you all overreacting? I said I needed one night alone to think! I didn't say I want a divorce."

"Overreacting?" Stiles was upset again. "You may as well have said you wanted a divorce. Terri, our marriage is a mess and you're standing there with a suitcase in your hand because you can't stand to be in the same house with me! I have the right to overreact. I finally let myself believe you wanted to save this marriage when you showed up in Chicago. You said you wanted out marriage to work. You told me that you loved me. You let me make love to you. Two days later, I get home and see a naked man sitting on your bed."

Stiles was so angry, he forgot Helen and Evan were in the room. "You know when I got on that plane to Iraq I'd just had to sit across the table from Callan thinking he was going to be in my wife's bed while I was risking my life. I already didn't care if I came back, then I'm kidnapped by the same people who caused the crash--the crash that started this whole mess. Even they threw in my face that you didn't remember me and we still don't know how they knew so much about us. I couldn't stand the thought of coming back to an empty house, then having to stomach seeing you with Callan every day. I just wanted to forget. Why is that so hard for you to understand?"

Helen and Evan looked at each other when Stiles mentioned his kidnapping. Evan had to put his hand over Helen's mouth to keep her from asking questions.

Terri listened to Stiles with one hand on her hip, the other on the doorknob. She was feeling sorry for herself and she had grown weary of the Stiles' "woe is me," tale. She was sure this round was more for her parents' benefit. She couldn't have been more wrong.

"She offered me some company and it felt good!" Stiles was about to tell her how good when he saw Helen out of the corner of his eye. "Terri, I closed my eyes and tried to pretend she was you. I just didn't want to be alone. Anything was better than being alone."

Terri turned the doorknob. "Stiles, you tried to pretend she was me? Oh please, I know you don't really expect me to believe that! I've heard enough. I'm not going to stand here and listen to stories about your little affair." Terri opened door, and ignoring Stiles and Helen, looked at her father. "Daddy, I'll call you later; goodnight."

Terri jumped when Stiles walked up behind her and slammed the door shut. When she turned around, he got in her face and pointed a finger at her. "Don't you dare walk out on me! You are going to hear about what happened last night. After I had to watch you throwing yourself all over Callan when you knew how I felt about you, you are going to listen. You owe me that much!"

"Maybe we should go," Evan whispered to his wife. Helen didn't budge; she was too busy trying to figure out which of her "children" she wanted to knock some sense into. Evan took her arm and practically dragged her into the kitchen. As soon as he sat down, Helen got up and pushed the door open a couple of inches so she could hear.

When Stiles saw the fear on Terri's face, he softened his tone. As angry and as hurt as he was, all he really wanted was for Terri to want him.

"She didn't feel like you, smell like you, didn't make me feel the way you can." Stiles sighed. "What hurt the most Terri was that you didn't want anything to do with me, that you still don't. Last night was about me, what I thought I needed. I wasn't trying to hurt you. If I made you feel even a tenth as bad as I've felt this past year, I am sorry. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy."

Terri was watching him, trying to figure out what she should say. Stiles solved the problem for her. "Look, I'm going to go. I am just tired of hurting. I don't want to do this anymore. Maybe we should just end things now."

Terri just looked at him and took a deep breath. As he was talking, she thought about the last night she had dinner at Matt's—while Stiles was in Chicago the first time. Matt wanted her; he made that clear and she almost stayed, but she stopped herself. If Stiles had walked in on that, what would he have thought? Would he have believed nothing happened?

Helen could feel tears well up in her eyes. "She's put him through so much she better beg him to stay!" Helen reached for the door again, but this time Evan was faster.

"You are not going to interrupt. We've said enough for one day; let them work it out."

"I just want to…"

"I know exactly what you want—to interrupt."

Helen pouted for a few seconds then smiled at her husband. He knew her very well.

"Maybe I'll go stay with Annie and Sam or dad for a while. I will probably be fired for decking Matt anyway." Stiles picked up his bag and reached around Terri for the doorknob.

Terri blocked his way and looked up at him, her eyes pleading. "Stay."

"Terri we can't go on like this. I meant what I said; I'm done with the merry-go-round. I can't do it anymore."

"I don't want you to go. I am so sorry—about everything. I've been selfish, I know, but please don't go, not like this."

"Terri, I'm not going to stay just so you won't feel guilty. The only thing I've wanted the last year was for us to be together the way we planned. But I feel like every time we get close the rug is pulled out from under me and like I said, I'm tired of everything. I just think it would be best if I leave for a while. Right now I'm not sure we have much of a chance anyway."

Terri suddenly felt very small and alone. She loved him and although she'd wanted time alone to think, she didn't want him to go like this. The incident the previous night seemed like ancient history; the only thing that mattered to Terri now was getting her husband to stay.

"Stiles please don't say that. I love you and I know that you love me." She said she knew it, but at that moment, she still wasn't sure.

"Do you? I love you enough to try to forget about everything this past year with Callan, but you don't love me enough to forgive me for one night. Yes Terri, I brought home another woman and I almost slept with her, but you told me you almost slept with Matt I'm assuming more than once."

Terri started crying again, thinking about all of the pain she'd caused him. "Stiles, I don't care about last night anymore! Whatever happened, happened."

"What ever happened, happened? You still don't believe me, do you?"

"Stiles, I…"

"Never mind. Goodbye Terri." Stiles edged his wife out of the way and walked out without a backwards glance.

For several moments after Stiles closed the door, Terri stood there staring at it in shock. She never imagined that he would leave. When she finally found her voice, she whispered to herself. "I believe you."


	69. Bad Dreams

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle **

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Previously…**

"I don't care about last night! What ever happened, happened."

"What ever happened, happened? You still don't believe me, do you?"

"Stiles, I…"

"Never mind, goodbye Terri." Stiles walked passed his wife without a backwards glance.

For several moments after Stiles closed the door, Terri stood there staring at it in shock. She never imagined that he would leave. When she finally found her voice, she whispered to herself. "I believe you."

**Part 70: Bad Dreams**

The second she heard the door close, Helen was out of the kitchen with Evan following closely. She walked past her daughter and shook her head then went after Stiles. She was surprised to find him sitting on the steps.

"Oh," she exclaimed, putting her hand over her heart. "You scared me A.B. I thought you were halfway to your car by now. What are you doing?"

"Calling a cab; we left my car at the office."

"I came out to tell you to come stay with Evan and me. There's no need for you to stay in a hotel."

"Thank you Helen, but I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Terri's your daughter."

"Oh that." Helen chuckled. "Listen, you know Evan and I love you too."

Stiles smiled. "I know, and it's good to hear, but I don't want to get between you and Terri."

Terri was staring at the door, tears running down her face. When she looked up, she saw he father coming toward her. Evan stopped walking and opened his arms.

"Daddy, what have I done? He's gone. You were right; all of you were right. I ruined everything. He doesn't want anything to do with me."

Evan held Teri tightly and rubbed her back, trying to soothe her. "He loves you; he's just concerned about your marriage. Give it time."

"Daddy you didn't hear him. You didn't see the look on his face when he said he didn't think we have a chance."

Evan just nodded silently. "Honey, sleep on it. I'm sure things will look better tomorrow. Like you said, you've been through a lot the past couple of days. Give yourself time to readjust."

Neither Evan nor Terri heard the door open. "Come on Evan, we need to go. I'll be outside waiting for you. Goodnight Theresa."

"Mom…" Helen was gone. "Even she isn't speaking to me now."

Evan laughed and kissed the top of his daughter's head before letting her go. "She'll come around and so will he. Just make sure he knows you love him and give him time; he's been through a lot."

After Stiles and her parents left, Terri didn't know what to do with herself. She dialed Annie's number hoping that she could get to her before Stiles; maybe his sister could convince him to give their marriage another try. When no one answered, she decided to go to bed. She dug one of Stiles' shirts out of the suitcase that was still in the middle of the bedroom floor. She put on the shirt and climbed in bed.

* * *

"A.B., It's about time you called! I've been trying to reach you since last night." 

"I know. I was afraid that if I didn't call, you were going to blow up my voicemail."

"Sorry about that, but I'm worried about you. What happened, what did Terri say? Please tell me you talked to her before you did something crazy."

"You want the good news first or the bad?"

"Good. I don't want to hear anything bad."

"You were right, she didn't sleep with him and she got her memory back."

"That's fantastic news so why don't you sound happy?"

"I screwed up Annie. I should have listened to you."

Annie winced. She was afraid to ask, but she couldn't help herself. "What happened?"

"I met a girl, got drunk, let her drive me home, and got caught making out with her on my couch."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this. Aidan, I told you to talk to her.

"I know and that's where the bad news comes in. Terri saw us, but she didn't say anything; she went to bed thinking I slept with the girl."

"Did you?"

Stiles took a deep breath before continuing. "No, I didn't, I couldn't do it even though I thought Terri'd left me. The thing is she refuses to believe me. We hashed the whole thing through this morning and she was okay, then we get home and she finds a hair clip in the couch that doesn't belong to her and she starts accusing me again. I'm sitting on the porch with a suitcase now. That's why I'm calling."

"She threw you out and I don't blame her."

"No, I left. I'm tired of everything Annie. She dated my boss for almost a year, made out with him in our house while I was upstairs and yet she can't forgive me for something that _almost_ happened. At least I thought she'd left me when I brought home someone else."

Annie was disappointed. "I hoped you were calling to tell me you were going to celebrate your anniversary."

"Actually I'm calling to ask you if I can stay with you for a few days. I miss Zach."

"What about me?"

Stiles smiled. "And you. Oh, and I can't forget Sam. I miss Sam too."

"Ha ha! When are you going to be here? I'll see if I can haveCaryn take over some of my appointments."

"Early tomorrow afternoon."

"Alright, just call me when you get into town. We'll talk more then, okay?"

"Yeah. Annie?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome big brother, you're welcome."

* * *

The third time Terri woke up she got out of bed. The first time she woke up it was because of a dream about Stiles' interrogation in Iraq. The second time it was about him and Brandy. The third time, she couldn't remember what she had been dreaming, but whatever it was was unpleasant. On her way to the kitchen, Terri passed Stiles' old bedroom and peaked in. The last time she peaked in was the night before he left for Chicago. 

She had fond memories of that night. She closed her eyes as she thought about it and let a tear escape. She was the one who overreacted. Stiles clearly loved her and was willing to stay in the marriage despite all she'd put him through.

_'Why couldn't I put the image of that other woman out of my head? Why couldn't I just tell him I believed him?'_ She blocked the thought out of her mind and made her way to the kitchen to get something to drink. She saw Stiles' journal lying on the table and picked it up.

She thought about reading it again, but she didn't want to think about what she'd put him through. She just held on to it and took it with her upstairs. She was half way to the second floor when she saw the paper sticking out of it. She pulled it out and read it; it was the note she'd left Stiles on the refrigerator when she was the one planning to leave. She wanted to be near him; she needed to make things right somehow, but she didn't even know where he was.

When she got to his bedroom, she stopped; the last time she wanted to be near him, she slept in his bed and it helped. She walked in and felt her way to the bed, lay down, and curled up with Stiles' pillow. Terri was nearly asleep when she heard a noise behind her. Her first instinct was to panic. When she looked over her shoulder, she smiled.

'_He didn't leave.'_

Stiles' instinct kicked in when the bed dipped. Without opening his eyes, he shifted, wrapped his free arm around Terri and pulled her into him so the top of her head was right under his chin.

She put her arm around his, kissed his hand, and whispered, "I love you Aidan Stiles. I love you," before closing her eyes. She didn't wake up again that night.


	70. What Do You Want?

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle **

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Note: Parts 71-78 take place on the same day.**

**Previously…**

Terri's panic turned to calm. He didn't leave. This is what she wanted, to be near him. She loved him and she wanted their marriage to work, she was sure of that. She put her arm around his and kissed his cheek before whispering, "I love you Aidan Stiles. I love you," before closing her eyes. She didn't wake up again that night.

**Part 71: What Do You Want? **

Stiles rolled over and reached for the alarm clock, but he couldn't reach it; something was in his way. Without opening his eyes, he reached for the pillow that was obstructing his way to the nightstand. When the pillow moved Stiles opened his eyes.

"Terri?"

"Turn off the alarm."

"I can't unless you move."

Terri rolled out of his way covering her eyes. She didn't want to see the look on his face—not if he was upset that she was there.

"What are you doing in here?"

She was immediately defensive when she heard his question. "What are you? I thought you left." Terri asked sarcastically then chided herself as soon as the words left her mouth.

Stiles was irritated, but he managed a slight smile when he noticed that she was wearing one of his shirts. "This is my house and my car is still at work. When my cab hadn't come after an hour, I cancelled it. Then I sat on the porch for a while thinking about everything. I came in when I got sleepy."

What he didn't tell her was that he pulled out his journal while he was waiting. He left out that he saw the pages she smeared with her tears. He didn't confess that he'd seen the note she left on the refrigerator when he came down with his overnight bag. He was so mad at her then that he stuck it in his pocket without reading it. He pulled it out when he came back in for a bottle of water. "Your turn."

"I couldn't sleep. I got out of bed after the third nightmare and ended up in here."

"Oh," was the only thing Stiles could think of to say. He lay back down on his back and stared at the ceiling. After several minutes of silence, he looked over at her.

"Terri, I'm going to ask you somethng and I want an honest answer. Not what you think I want to hear, but what you really feel."

Terri turned to look at him. "Okay"

"What do you want?"

He didn't have to tell her what he meant, she understood. She also understood that she needed tochoose her words carefully.After pondering her response, Terri propped herself up, her left arm on Stiles' chest, and looked down at her husband.

"You."

"Me?" He asked the question incredulously. After the previos evening, he wasn't sure he could believe that.

Terri shook her head. "Yes. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to wake up every morning just like we did in Chicago, like we did on our honeymoon." Terri paused and sighed. "I want to go back in time and choose a different flight from Ireland. I want to have never lost my memory; I want to take back all of the pain I've caused you the past year. I want to have never been so stupid as to cheat on my husband…"

Stiles' heart skipped a beat when she said she wished she hadn't cheated on him. He slid from under her arm and sat up. "So you did sleep with him?"

"No. Stiles, I…" Terri sat up and looked at him. "I considered it, I came close, but I couldn't. Just the same, you were right; I was cheating. I made a vow to forsake all others, but I didn't and I deeply regret that. As much as I want you to forgive me, I couldn't fault you if you really did leave."

Stiles wanted to say something to make her feel better, but he also wanted her to grovel a little, she owed him that much.

"I want you to give me another chance to make you happy, to love you the way you deserve to be loved." She paused briefly, just long enough to wipe the tears from her cheeks then added, barely above a whisper. "I do want you to forgive me. I want you to love me again."

Stiles was watching her intently, looking for some sign in her face that she wasn't being completely honest; he couldn't find one. He also couldn't bear seeing her cry. "I do love you, always will."

"Are you sure? How could you after everything that's happened, after last night…"

Stiles put his finger on her lips to stop her rambling. "I meant what I said, I love you, but there is something I need to know. Why didn't you give me a chance before, why wouldn't you let me in?"

Terri wasn't sure which time he meant. She hadn't given him a chance about a lot of things lately. "I don't…when?"

"You knew we were married, you knew how much I loved you and you still went after Callan. Why?"

Terri could hear the sadness in his voice; she really did have a lot of explaining (and begging) to do. "The only explanation I have, and I don't know if this will make sense, is that I was scared."

"Scared of what? You knew me. I wasn't a complete stranger. I know you didn't like me much, but it wasn't like I ever hurt you."

"I wasn't scared of you. I was scared of the way you looked at me. It was as if you looked at me hard enough, in a certain way, I would remember. At first, I was uncomfortable hearing that I was married period, not to mention that it was to someone that as far as I could remember, I barely knew.

Stiles, I knew that when you looked at me you saw your wife, the person you wanted to spend the rest of your life with, but I couldn't see myself as that person. It unnerved me knowing that you knew so much about me—things I didn't know about myself."

Stiles looked down at his hands. "Why didn't you say something?"

"I didn't know how to tell you. People told me how intense our relationship was and I couldn't handle that, especially in the beginning." Terri sighed when she saw the perplexed look on Stiles' face.

"It was like…Remember when you were in high school and some girl you barely knew or were just not interested in had a crush on you?"

Stiles smiled slightly and nodded as the image of his best friend's little sister popped into his mind.

"Remember how awkward and sometimes weird that was?"

Stiles nodded again. "Magnify that tenfold and that's how it felt. I just…I don't know how else to make you understand."

Stiles nodded. He did understand what she was saying; he didn't like it, but he understood. He just wished she could have explained it earlier. Maybe things would have been different.

"I understand why you felt uncomfortable with me, but why Callan?"

"Matt just, he was a diversion in the beginning. He was gone for a long time and was as clueless as I was about what was going on at the Agency. We were in the same boat. It sounds so ridiculous now." Terri didn't know how to explain what now seemed like such as bad idea.

"You wanted something from me I wasn't ready or able to give and he…we talked about things I remembered. I naively thought he just wanted to be my friend."

Stiles fought an internal battle. He wanted to make a nasty comment about just how naïve Terri had been. He wanted to lash out at her about how unnecessarily mean she had been to him while at the same time unnecessarily nice to Callan, but he didn't. He didn't want to argue with her anymore.

"I get it. I still don't like it, but I get it."

Terri exhaled and looked into Stiles' eyes. "Stiles, are we going to be okay?"

"I don't know. I want us to be, but I would be lying if I said I was completely over everything. I don't know what's going to happen with Carl. I had a message to meet him in his office at 8:30 this morning. If I still have a job, I can't promise that I won't slug Callan again. I can't promise that I'll be able to forget what's happened the past year, but I'll try."

Terri was relieved, if not thrilled, by Stiles' response. She knew he loved her and that he was willing to work on their marriage.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

Terri managed a small smile. "Okay. Stiles?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you want?"

He didn't hesitate with his answer. "You, us. I want to rewind time and erase the past 12 months. I want to wake up and see your beautiful face every morning. I want to be able to trust you and I want you to trust me. I want Matt Callan out of our lives."

Without warning, Stiles pulled Terri into a hug and kissed her. "I want to stop talking," He said and then kissed her again. "I want to make love to my wife. By my calculations we're behind."

Terri kissed him back and held him for a moment before pulling away. "I love you and as wonderful as that sounds, we have to get up. I haven't gotten any work done in days and I don't think you should be late for your meeting with Carl." Terri stopped and flashed Stiles the smile he loved so much. "However, I promise I'll show you what else mom bought me at the lingerie store when we get home."


	71. Depositins Part 2

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Note: Parts 71-78 take place on the same day.**

**Previously…**

Terri kissed him back and held him for a moment before pulling away. "I love you and as wonderful as that sounds, we have to get up. I haven't gotten any work done in days and I don't think we should be late for our meetings with Carl." Terri stopped and flashed Stiles the smile he loved so much. "However, I promise I'll show you what else mom bought me at the lingerie store when we get home."

**Part 72: Depositions Part 2**

Stiles got in one last kiss. "Deal; besides, after Carl gets finished with me I may need some cheering up."

Stiles headed for the bathroom, Terri knew they had a long way to go, but she was hopeful. Terri stopped Stiles right before he closed the bathroom door.

"Stiles."

"Yeah"

"For what it's worth, I'm glad you punched him."

Stiles nodded and shut the door. "Yeah, me too."

* * *

Terri stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked up as she yelled, "Stiles, we need to go!" 

Stiles shut the drawer and put the box back in the drawer before running down the stairs.

"Hey, I was about to send out a search party. You ready?"

"As I'll ever be. I still don't know what I'm going to tell Carl."

"The truth. Just tell him the truth."

Stiles wasn't as confident. "Terri, the truth sounds like a bad soap opera plot."

Terri looked down at her hands and sighed. "Yes, it does. I can't believe I let things get so out of hand. If only I had…" Terri stopped and looked up at Stiles. "Stiles I'm sorry. Everything that happened yesterday is my fault. What happened with you the other night is my fault. If I hadn't been so stubborn and, and…" she struggled for the right word, finally deciding on, "stupid, none of this would have happened. None of it."

The first thought that popped into Stiles' mind was, _You're right, it is all your fault, every last bit of it._

"Terri, it doesn't matter whose fault it is, it---is and we have to deal with it. And for me, dealing with it means considering that I could loose my job."

Terri felt awful and Stiles wasn't letting her off the hook this time. He didn't come right out and agree with her, but he didn't tell her she was wrong either. She looked him in the eyes and saw that the pain was still there; she had a lot of work to do to get him back completely.

"Stiles, things will work out; I know they will. Carl wouldn't fire you. He can't."

"I don't know Terri. I don't know."

* * *

"Good morning Terri. Come in." 

"Joshua said you want to talk to me, but before you say anything I want you to know that I know how inappropriate my actions were yesterday. I am very sorry that happened. It was completely unprofessional."

"Yes, it was. That's part of the reason I want to talk to you. Do you know what's been going on with Stiles and Matt?"

"In what regard?"

"Terri, I know that you were seeing Matt, but what I saw yesterday leads me to believe there's more going on."

Terri sighed. She really didn't want to talk to Carl about Matt. She wanted very badly to forget about Matt altogether. "I don't think there's anymore going on, at least not that I know of; I'm their problem. I'm right in the middle of this whole mess. What did Matt tell you?"

"Terri, I think you know me well enough to know that whatever anyone tells me in here will be held in confidence. I can't tell you what Matt said and I won't tell anyone what you say."

Terri nodded.

"I'm sure you know I am meeting with Stiles as soon as we finish. I spoke to Matt yesterday; now I want your take."

Terri took a deep breath and told Carl what she could: that Matt was jealous of Stiles and had been since he came back and found out Stiles had "his" job and was seeing "his" girl. She told him that Stiles was uncomfortable knowing his boss was seeing his wife and that she was amazed that he hadn't punched his lights out months ago; that Matt led Stiles to believe things about his and Terri's relationship that weren't true, causing Stiles to think his marriage was over right before he lefton a dangerous mission.

"It's pretty sorted, I know."

Carl nodded in agreement. He was disappointed, but not surprised that Matt was the catalyst for most of the problems.

"Terri, one more thing."

"Yes?"

"Joshua told me he sent you home with Stiles yesterday. How are things? Are you two okay?"

Terri hesitated a moment before responding. "Uh, I think eventually we will be, but we have some things to work through." Terri paused and looked up atCarl, "Is he going to lose his job over what happened yesterday?"

"Matt is his immediate supervisor and it is well within Matt's rights to recommend that Stiles be fired, but that's a decision that hasn't been made."

"Carl he's one of the best operatives here, you know that. What happened yesterday in no way reflects the way he does his job. Believe me…"

"Terri, he almost blew an important mission. He gave up his identity and told the terrorists he didn't care what happened. Then yesterday, he assaulted his immediate supervisor."

Terri continued her plea, practically begging Carl not to fire Stiles. "Carl, I know all of that and I would prefer that what happened in Iraq and what happened yesterday hadn't, but it did. There were extenuating circumstances. He'd watched Matt and me together, endured Matt throwing our relationship in his face and then the final indignity—he saw Matt at our house naked before he was sent on a mision that Matt ran. Carl, he went on that mission thinking I was divorcing him to be with his boss. He was not in the right frame of mind to be over there." Terri stopped talking as she thought about how close she came to losing him. Before she even realized it, a tear was making its way down her cheek.

"Carl, we could have lost an agent. I could have lost my husband because of…" As angry as she was at Matt, she hadn't wanted to come right out and accuse him, but Stiles' reputation and his future were on the line, "because of Matt's games. You've seen Stiles; you know what they did to him. Matt knew Stiles was leaving town that morning and he sent me to HLS anyway. He knew Stiles and I were working on our marriage. He sent Stiles over there without the right maps or coordinates! He purposely…"

Carl held up his hand as he interrupted her. "Terri"

Terri knew she was getting close to forbidden territory making the type of allegations against Matt that she was. Carl stopped her before she was at the point of no return. "Terri, please stop and think before you go any further. If you continue where I think are, this whole mess could end up in front of a senate committee. I hope you trust me enough to know I'll be fair and handle this appropriately. Bowden is still looking for an excuse to shut us down."

Terri wiped her face and straightened in her chair. "You're right, I'm sorry. I just hope you know me well enough to believe that husband or not, I wouldn't defend Stiles if I didn't think the situation warranted it. Carl, please don't end his career over one case of poor judgment. There were a lot of other people and events that contributed to what happened."

"I still need to talk to Stiles, but I'll make sure that he is treated fairly. Thank you Terri."

"Thank you sir." Terri stood reluctantly, thinking that there had to be more she could do. She walked out not feeling very good about anything. Stiles was waiting outside Carl's office when she came out.

"How'd it go?"

Terri shrugged slightly as she looked back at Carl who was now standing by his door. "It went. Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I'm as ready as I can be."

"Just be honest. You'll do fine. I love you no matter what happens, okay?"

Stiles tried to smile as he nodded and whispered, "Okay" to Terri. Hearing her say, "I love you," meant the world to him at that moment, but he was more than a little worried about his job. He'd had all afternoon and all night to think about what happened and it wasn't pretty. He gave Terri a quick peck on the cheek, held his head high, and walked into Carl's office.


	72. Stiles' Last Stand

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Part 73: Stiles' Last Stand**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

"Have a seat Mr. Stiles."

Stiles glanced at Carl. He never called him "Mr." He didn't think it possible, but he was suddenly even more concerned.

"Carl, I…"

Carl held up his hand, effectively stopping Stiles. "You're one of the best agents in this Agency. For the past year, you've handled yourself remarkably well especially considering your personal circumstances. However, right after you just managed to penetrate a large part of Al-Quaida then you come home and clothesline your boss. I'd like an explanation."

"Sir I'm sorry about that whole mess downstairs yesterday. My personal life is, was a mess and yesterday was the last straw. I let my personal feelings for Mr. Callan affect my judgment. Despite what I said the other day, I want my job; I want to continue working here. I'm ready to accept whatever discipline you see fit."

"Stiles, I appreciate that, but I still need to know what happened. Before I can make an informed decision on your future here I have to be informed."

"What do you need to know?"

"Everything."

Stiles told him everything. He sat there and told Carl how worried he was when Matt showed up after Terri's kidnapping. Despite Terri's assurances that she and Matt weren't involved when he "died", Stiles knew there were unresolved feelings there for both of them. He confessed how distraught he was when Terri started seeing Matt after the accident and how thrilled he was when she chose him the night of the Callan's anniversary party. He smiled when he told Carl that she'd agreed to stay with him and work on their marriage before he left for Chicago and how he wanted to die when he found Matt in her bedroom wearing nothing but the corner of a towel the day he came back.

"I had no idea it was that bad. I heard a little from Chance when we profiled you after your capture, but I was not aware of the full extent of what has happened. You should never have been in Iraq. You came close to getting yourself killed and you nearly cost us the mission when you admitted being CIA. "

"Sir, about that…"

Carl stopped him again. He didn't even want to get into that. What happened in Iraq was on Carl's list for consideration. It would move to the top now that he knew the entire story concerning Stiles' emotional state.

"As I was saying, I was not fully aware of the situation with your personal life or your relationship with Mr. Callan; however, none of that excuses what happened yesterday."

Stiles looked at Carl thinking he was in serious trouble. If Carl didn't believe that Matt was misusing his position, Stiles was most likely out of a job. He needed Carl to know how duplicitous Matt had really been, but he couldn't come right out and say it.

"I understand. May I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"This may seem unrelated, but there is a point. Do you know why I was asked to attend the conference in Chicago this year?"

"As I was briefed prior to the conference, both Chance and Matt were needed here and you knew the most about our operations from a tactical standpoint."

"It turned out that since Jackson was there, I wasn't really needed. When I told Callan he told me to come home early and I find him in my wife's bedroom. That wasn't 30 minutes after Chance was picking me up from the airport because the Iraq mission was moved up."

Carl didn't say anything right away. He knew why they sent Stiles to Chicago, but after hearing Stiles' version of events he wondered. Matt had told him how busy he was—how critical that it was that he stay at Langley. He didn't like the picture he was getting, but didn't feel it appropriate to reveal his thoughts to Stiles.

Stiles seriously considered enumerating other incidents to Carl, but changed his mind; there was no way he could say much more without looking like he was just trying to cover his own butt and that wasn't his style.

"I want you to know that I wanted to keep it out of the office…" (Unlike Matt, he wanted to say), "but …" Stiles paused and collected is thoughts. He was getting upset again just thinking about it.

"I wasn't able to talk to Terri before I left for Iraq and I left here thinking my marriage was over. I took some risks I wouldn't have normally, but the way things were going, I honestly didn't care if I made it out. I know the mistake I made in acknowledging my true identity to my captors. Carl, I know how close I came to screwing up the whole mission and you're right, there are no excuses.

When I got home that night, I couldn't stand the thought of going to that house; I did something incredibly stupid and almost ruined any chance of a relationship with my wife. I thought she and Callan were…" Stiles stopped and closed his eyes, trying to shake the image of Terri and Matt out of his mind. "Carl, I am deeply sorry about what happened here. I was wrong for taking care of my personal life in the office."

"Do you regret hitting him?"

Stiles didn't hesitate. "Do I regret hitting my boss? Yes, very much. Do I regret hitting Matt Callan? Not at all; he had it coming—months ago!"

Carl had a hard time not smiling. Stiles' candor was one of the things he liked most about him. "I have some decisions to make. Take the rest of the day off and be in my office tomorrow morning at 8:00. I'll let you know what's been decided."

"Yes sir." Stiles didn't want to get up. He felt like there had to be more to say, more he could do to save his job, but he wasn't about to beg or whine about what Matt had done or didn't do. He knew he could have done things differently, but his pride finally got the better of him. What was done was done and now he would have to wait.

Stiles had his hand on the doorknob when Carl called to him.

"Stiles"

"Yeah,"

"How are things between you and Terri?"

Stiles tried not to smile. "They're okay for now. We have a ways to go before things are back to normal, but things are…" Stiles paused as he tried to think of the right word, "better."

"Good. I will see you in the morning."

Matt was walking down the hall just as Stiles came out of Carl's office. He had no idea what Stiles said, but he was still his boss and he intended to use that to his advantage.


	73. House Husband

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 74: House Husband**

Matt moved so it was impossible for Stiles to pass him. "Have you talked to him yet?"

Stiles nodded.

"Did you tell him how you blind sighted your boss over some petty jealousy? You know, jealousy doesn't become you Stiles nor is it a particularly attractive quality in a field op."

Stiles decided that he was going to lose his job so decking Matt again probably wouldn't cost him much. But when he saw the usual smug expression on Matt's face he took a deep breath and calmed himself; he didn't want to give Matt the satisfaction of taking the bait. He realized that he had a much better way to hurt Matt—he had Terri.

Unbeknownst to the two men breathing fire at each other, Carl walked out of his office just as Stiles was unclenching his fist. He motioned to Ms. Anaya to stay quiet as he watched the CIA's head of Homeland Security and the head of the IRT glare at each other.

Stiles leaned a little closer to Matt, "I told him the truth—all of it."

Stiles smiled as Matt's eyes got big. When Stiles said "all of it," Matt had to wonder exactly what that meant. Did he tell him that he maneuvered missions to get Stiles out of the way? Did he tell their boss, the director of central intelligence, that he'd allowed Stiles to think his wife was sleeping with another man? That _he _was that other man?

"That's right Matt, I told him everything and no matter what, I win. You've already lost the respect of most people around here and no matter what else happens you've also lost Terri. She chose me—again, even before she regained her memory. See, I was laying in bed holding my wife in my arms this morning after she told me how much she wants me. Tonight, while you're sitting at home alone wondering what's going to happen, I'll be at home making love to my wife. And unlike you, no matter how things turn out, I have my self-respect, the respect of my colleagues, and the love of an _amazing _woman."

Stiles smiled to himself as he left Matt standing in the hallway with his jaw hanging open. Matt looked up to see Carl watching them and wondered how much he'd heard.

Stiles got on the elevator and headed to OTS. Joshua and Lex wanted to ask him how things went, but as soon as Joshua saw Stiles' face, he stopped Lex in his tracks; Joshua had become very adept at reading Stiles' moods.

"Morning Mr. Stiles, she's in lab number five."

Stiles thanked Joshua and headed for the lab, happy that he didn't have to answer any questions.

"Hey"

Terri looked at her watch. It had been almost an hour since she left Stiles in front of Carl's office. "How did it go?"

Stiles shrugged. "Like you, it went. I don't know what's going to happen."

"What did he say?"

"Nothing yet and you know how hard Carl is to read. I told him everything and I told the truth. I'll just have to wait and see, but I don't think it looks good. Whatever happens, at least it will be quick; he wants to see me early tomorrow."

Terri frowned. In the hour since she'd seen Carl, she'd convinced herself that things would work out okay. Carl liked Stiles and he now knew the truth. However, after hearing Stiles' version of events, her outlook was more somber though she didn't tell Stiles how she felt.

"Carl told me he would be fair and I think he will be."

"Terri, I punched my boss—twice—among other things." Stiles ran his hand across his head in frustration. "I can't believe this is happening. Why couldn't I just keep my cool?"

"I'm surprised you kept it as long as you did. Honey, don't worry about it. There's nothing you can do at this point anyway; just try to get through the day. Everything will work out somehow." She hoped it would, for both their sakes. She wasn't sure he would forgive her if he lost his job.

"You're right; I just don't want to give up this job; you know how much I love working for the Agency; I don't know how to do anything else." He paused briefly and added, almost under his breath, "I found you here."

Terri felt sorry for him; he was really worried. She stopped what she was doing, walked over to him and held out her arms. He was right, he was a career operative in one way or another; he didn't know how to do anything else.

"Honey, I know you're worried, but, if the worst happens we'll figure it out. I won't stay and work with Matt if you're not here. Remember what I said, we're in this together, no matter what."

Stiles pulled her close and held onto her as if he needed her there to help him breathe. He wasn't just scared, he was terrified. When he eased his hold on Terri, she pulled back a little and kissed him.

"I love you. It'll be okay."

"You promise?"

Terri rested her head on Stiles' chest and squeezed him tightly around his waist. "I promise.I can always start my business again and you can be a house husband—you know, stay home with the kids while I work."

She looked up to see him smiling. "I've missed that smile."

"Yeah," He laughed and added, "me too."

Terri reluctantly pulled herself free and went back to her project. "So, what's on your agenda for the rest of the day?"

"I don't know. Carl told me to take the rest of the day. Maybe I'll hang out in the hot tub the rest of the afternoon. My aching muscles could use the attention."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Do you have a lot to do today?"

"Yeah unfortunately. I'm sorry, but I may be late this evening."

"That's okay," Stiles walked behind her and put his arms around her waist. He could feel her inhale at his touch. As soon as she leaned into him, he whispered, "Just remember you promised to show me a certain purchase from a certain lingerie store when you get home tonight."

Terri felt shivers down her spine as Stiles let go of her. She did indeed remember that promise, and she intended to keep it.


	74. You're a Good Friend

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 75: You're a Good Friend Bailey Callan**

Stiles left OTS headed for the garage. He heard a familiar voice as he stepped onto the elevator.

"Hey stranger, you're looking a little better today. The bruises are fading."

Stiles laughed. "Thanks, but you're lying. I look awful. What do you want?" Bailey smiled and shrugged. He knew her a little too well.

"How are things with Terri, are you guys okay? I'm worried about you."

"Last night was tough; the in-laws were there when we got home. Terri called Helen before she left for work yesterday and you know Helen, she rushed right over."

"I bet Helen wasn't too happy to see you."

"That's an understatement. Even Evan was angry at first. There was a lot of yelling. Terri and I each talked about leaving, but in the end, after a lot of yelling and crying, we came to an understanding."

"I'm glad. She really does love you, ya know?"

Stiles shook his head. "Yeah, it's starting to sink in." There was an awkward pause between the two friends. Just as Bailey was about to head to her office, Stiles stopped her.

"I heard you."

"What?"

"I heard you talking to me through the transmitter. At the time, I couldn't believe all those things you said about Terri were true." He paused again. "But now… did you mean all those other things you said—about your mom thinking of me as a son?"

Bailey smiled. "Yes Stiles, I meant all of it. It's true. There are a lot of people around here who care about you, like it or not."

Stiles leaned over and gave her a hug. "Thank you Bailey for everything."

"Stiles, I didn't do anything, I just told you the truth."

"You did a lot more than that; you've been a very good friend to Terri and to me."

"I love you both and I want the two of you to be okay."

"We're working on it."

"Good. Stiles?"

"Yeah"

"Have you talked to Chance this morning?"

"About?"

"Anything. He's worried that he may have lost you as a friend. He feels like he let you down."

"Yeah well, in a lot of ways he did let me down, but this whole situation has been insane. We've been friends for a long time. When things calm down, I'm sure we'll talk."

Bailey patted Stiles on the shoulder. "Okay."

"Bay, how are you? I know juggling Terri and me and your brother hasn't been easy. You and your mom and dad have been supportive of me from the beginning. That means a lot to me, but I know it's been hard on you."

"It hasn't been easy. Stiles, I hate everything he's done. I'm so glad my mother doesn't know half of it. She was an agent; she knows how much you have to rely on other people to get out alive. If she knew what Matt pulled on this last mission…Stiles, it would break her heart. She lost a son to this agency and she still doesn't know the entire story behind his death."

Bailey unconsciously wiped her eye checking for the tears that threatened to fall. "Stiles, as much as I hate what he's done, how he's hurt you and Terri, he's still my brother and I have to love him. I have to, you know?"

Stiles couldn't see how anyone could love Him, but he cared about Bailey and he could tell she was upset.

"I understand."

Bailey gave Stiles a half smile. "No you don't, but thanks for saying so. Just so you know, I talked to Carl. I told him everything I know. I just hope it was the right thing to do." She added the last part for her benefit more than Stiles'.

Stiles gave her another hug. "I'm sure whatever you said was the truth." Bailey nodded that it was. "Then you have nothing to worry about; it's up to Carl now. You shouldn't feel guilty. You're a good person Bailey."

"Ha, I'm supposed to be comforting you! I'm glad I can count you as a friend, and brother, Mr. Stiles."

* * *

Terri was working furiously when Bailey insisted she take a quick lunch break.

"How are you holding up?"

"I'm not. Carl had separate meetings with Stiles and me this morning. Stiles is off the rest of the day and honestly I just want to get out of here and go home to him."

Bailey gave her best friend a hug just at the right time as she always did. "I know. I ran into him on my way here. I talked to Carl too."

"You did? What did you tell him?"

"The truth."

"But Matt…" 

"Is my brother. I promise I didn't let that color what I said."

"I'm sorry. I know you wouldn't do that. It's just that he's so worried Bay and so am I. I don't know what's going to happen. When I asked Carl if Stiles could lose his job all he said was that he'd be treated fairly but that Matt has the right to fire him over what happened."

"He can't fire Stiles. I won't let him."

"Bailey, you've already done enough. As much as I want Matt to suffer, he's still your brother and I know this is hard for you. I know it is even though you would never tell me. We have to let this play out. I know Carl and I think he'll do everything he can to be fair." Terri paused and took her friend's hand. "I think you should know what I told him about Matt though."

"It's okay. I know you; you only told him what you had to—no more, no less and as awful as it probably was, I'm sure it was the truth."

Terri shook her head. Things were going to be bad for someone no matter what happened. Naturally, she hoped that someone was Matt.

* * *

As soon as Stiles got home, he called Helen. 

"A.B. honey, are you okay? Where are you?"

"I just got home."

"Why aren't you at work? Where's Terri?"

"I have the rest of the day off. Terri's still at the office. I just wanted you and Evan to know that I decided to stay."

Helen let out a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad. At least one of you came to your senses. Sometimes that daughter of mine…I just don't know what to say."

Stiles laughed. "I know, I feel the same way sometimes, but like you, I love her anyway."

"I know you do. I'm glad she has you and whether she realizes it or not, so is she."

Stiles smiled into the phone. "Helen?"

"Hmm"

"Thank you. For everything"

Helen smiled and looked at her watch.

"You're welcome. Listen, have you eaten lunch?"

"No, why?"

"How do you feel about lunch with two exciting, older women?"

"Uh, I'm not sure how I should answer that."

Helen laughed when she heard the nervousness in his voice. "Liz and I are meeting for lunch at Ernesto's. I'm sure she would love to see you."

Stiles had been at home alone 10 minutes and he was already bored. Lunch with his two mothers could be interesting.

"I'd love to. What time?"

"12:30"

"I'll be there."


	75. Lunch

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Author: Michelle**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 76: Lunch**

Stiles walked into _Ernesto's On The River_ at exactly 12:30 p.m. Liz and Helen were already seated. He walked to the table and kissed each of them on the cheek. Although Helen had warned her, Liz didn't realize the extent of Stiles' injuries; she had to cover her mouth so he wouldn't hear her gasp.

"Hi ladies." He smiled as he surveyed each of their faces. "Liz, it doesn't feel as bad as it looks."

"I'm sorry"

Stiles gave her a reassuring smile. "It's okay." Stiles sat down and looked from one to the other. "I'm ready for the lecture."

Liz looked at Helen and winked at her. "Lecture? Darling, what makes you think there will be a lecture?"

Stiles laughed. "Okay, the two of you just wanted to spend the afternoon with me talking about the weather."

"More like how we can be better husbands…" Stiles turned to see Chance standing behind him. "…how we should shop with our wives, take them out more, give back rubs, that sort of thing."

Liz gave her son-in-law a hug as he sat down. "Hi, I'm glad you could make it."

"Miss lunch with my favorite mother-in-law? Never! Besides, it's a little fun seeing Bailey pout. She's jealous, you know?"

Liz smiled. "I'm sure she is. She's used to being the center of attention, but I'm sure you'll make it up to her."

Chance smiled and rolled his eyes, turning to Stiles. "See, what did I tell you?"

"I didn't know you were coming."

"Nor I you. I heard you had the afternoon off. How are you? Are you and Terri…?"

"I'm fine. We're fine." Stiles answered in short clipped sentences. The women looked at each other. The tension between the two friends was obvious. Stiles had his mouth open, ready to add "No thanks to you," when the waitress appeared.

"Hello Mrs. Callan. It's been a while. How is Mr. Callan?"

"He's just fine thank you Courtney." Courtney tried to hide her frown when she saw Stiles' face. She wasn't as successful at hiding the smile when she looked at the handsome man to his left. Liz quickly set her straight.

"Dear, you remember my daughter Bailey, right?"

The young woman kept her eyes glued to a grinning Chance as she nodded.

Liz put her hand on Chance's arm. "This is her husband Christopher…" Liz needn't have finished. As soon as she said the word husband, the girl lost all interest.

After Liz finished the introductions, Courtney took their drink orders and left them to their conversation.

Courtney's appearance saved Stiles; the brief pause in conversation was enough to remind him of where he was and with whom.

"So A.B., have you and Terri been able to celebrate your anniversary?"

"No ma'am, not yet, I was out of town; I just got back a couple of days ago."

Liz felt three pairs of eyes on her. She didn't know what was going on, but she could tell there was something they knew that she didn't.

"Alright, you three, what's going on?"

Chance and Stiles didn't want to go there, but Helen, being less in the know than she realized, went for it.

"The kids have had some things to work out, but things are looking up for them. Aren't they A.B.?"

Stiles smiled despite himself. "Yes, they are."

"Oh, that's wonderful. I was sure things were going well for you two after the party. Please tell me my son doesn't have anything to do with the things you have to work out." Everyone at the table heard the slight pleading in Liz's voice. Even as she asked the question, she was sure Matt was involved.

Stiles wanted to stand on the table and shout, "Yes he has something to do with it! He made a point of making my life miserable for months. He sent me on trips just to get me out of town; he tried and nearly succeeded in taking my wife from me, then let me think he was having sex with her right before he sent me into a hostile environment without the necessary information and equipment. He's a smug jerk who will do anything to get his way. Yeah, he has something to do with it!"

Instead of the testimonial he wanted to make, Stiles simply made eye contact with Liz. The slight gesture told her all she needed know.

Chance didn't notice Stiles' gesture, but he could see the gears turning as he looked in Stiles' eyes. He knew that it was not the time or place for Liz to find out just how despicable her son had become. "I think work in general had a lot to do with it, didn't it Stiles?"

Stiles looked at Chance and almost told him to butt out, then looked at Liz; she didn't deserve to hear about her son in the middle of lunch in front of one of her closest friends so he just nodded; Chance and Bailey could tell her later.

Liz knew they weren't telling her everything, but she didn't want to pursue it then; she wanted to enjoy lunch.

"Alright boys, you were right. As much as we enjoy your company, we also love our daughters and…."

Although he felt a lecture coming on, for Chance, the change in conversation was a relief.

"…and what? Didn't you tell me you couldn't have asked for a better man for your daughter?"

"Oh dear, did I say that?"

Chance grinned and nodded.

Stiles too, was happy for the change in conversation. "Yeah, and I believe Helen said somethng similar."

Liz and Helen laughed. "Looks like we've created a couple of monsters here."

The four of them spent the first part of lunch talking about Bailey, Terri, and marriage in general. Each of the women wanted her son-in-law to be around for years to come. By the time desert came, they were giving the men tips on fatherhood.

"This time next year, I want to be a grandmother."

"Liz, we haven't been married a year yet. We're not ready for kids."

"Honey, Bailey has had names picked out since before she could drive. She's ready."

Chance rolled his eyes and looked at his watch, hoping it wasn't too early to start making excuses to leave.

"And so is Terri. I know you two want to spend some time together, just the two of you after the year you've had, but I'm with Liz, this time next year."

Helen looked down at Stiles, "Briefs or boxers?"

Chance just laughed then got up to look for Courtney. Paying for lunch was a small price to pay to avoid the embarrassment Stiles was about to endure.

"Excuse me?"

Liz jumped right in. "Sperm don't like tight spaces, they need to breathe. Briefs are too tight…"

"They've been known to cause infertility in some men."

Stiles put his head down on the table before his entire face was crimson. He couldn't believe the two of them.

Liz and Helen looked at each other and began laughing. By the time Chance returned, they were laughing so hard, he wasn't sure he should ask what happened. When he saw Stiles sitting up, shaking his head, he knew he shouldn't ask. He didn't have to. Liz scrunched her face and glanced down.

"What?"

Liz could barely stop laughing enough to get out, "boxers or briefs?"

Chance, ever the good sport, winked at his mother-in-law, "Bailey prefers me in bikinis or nothing at all."

While Helen, Chance, and Stiles laughed, Liz had to pick her jaw up from the table to respond to the waitress. "Is there anything else I can get for you Mrs. Callan?"

"No dear, just the check. Everything was wonderful as usual."

"Oh, Mr. Chancellor took care of it."

"Yeah, he knew just when to escape."

Chance pushed in Liz's chair and kissed her on the cheek. "I heard about the two of you. Bailey told me what happened when you took Terri lingerie shopping. What's the saying, forewarned is forearmed?"

"Touché." The foursome laughed all the way to the door. The got a surprise when they stepped outside.


	76. Over My Knee

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 77: Over My Knee**

"Matthew what a surprise!" Liz exclaimed as she hugged her son; she hadn't talked to him in days and hadn't seen him in weeks. "Darling, how are you?" Liz loosened herself from Matt's embrace and looked at him. He knew he was in trouble when she scrunched up her face. "What happened to your face? It looks like someone punched you."

Matt glanced at Stiles. '_Ha, someone did punch me. That sorry excuse for an operative you're standing beside. What are you doing here with him, anyway? Bailey was right, you have replaced me.'_

The greeting Matt received from his mother told him that Stiles hadn't said anything to her about what happened, so he answered with a simple, "I'm fine mom." He knew how much Liz cared about Stiles and Terri. If he told her what really happened, no matter the spin he put on it, she would take Stiles' side. She'd made it very clear that she disapproved of Matt's dating Terri in her "condition."

Matt glanced at Stiles long enough to make eye contact. "One of my," he paused and emphasized the next word,"_employees _took out some of his personal problems on me yesterday. It's not a big deal. The guy will probably lose his job soon anyway. He's a loose cannon."

"Oh" Liz noticed the anxiety on Chance's face and that Matt kept looking at Stiles. She wouldn't have been surprised if Stiles had hit her son.

Matt had to say something to Stiles. "Stiles, what are you doing here? Why aren't you at the office?"

Stiles really wanted to hit him again. They weren't in the office so it couldn't hurt his job, but then he looked up at Liz.

He put his arms around Liz and Helen and smiled. "Having lunch with my two moms. Carl gave me the afternoon off."

"Humph" was all Matt uttered. Like Stiles, if his mother weren't there, he would have said much more.

While Matt finished talking to Liz and Helen, Chance pulled Stiles aside.

"Are things really okay? Are you and Terri…?"

"Don't pretend to care Chance. It's just us, there's no one here to see you put on you're 'concerned boss face.'"

"Stiles I'm sorry about everything that happened before Iraq. I was doing my job. I didn't want to let our friendship interfere with work, but I realize I could have handled some things differently. Hindsight."

"Yeah, your lack of hindsight almost cost me my marriage, not to mention my life. You said it yourself, I had no business going in my frame of mind, but you sent me anyway."

"I fought for you when they wanted to call in the dogs; I sent you home to your wife. I did what I could. Stiles, I tried to get you to talk to me before you left. If you'd told me what was going on with Matt then I would have made sure you talked to Terri; I could have done something! What's going on now is all on you. I tried to talk you out of it, but you charged ahead, pigheaded as usual. I'm not taking the blame for that."

"I can't believe you have the gall to say that to me after what I've been through!"

Liz said goodbye to Matt and found herself refereeing. "Boys. Boys! Lower your voices. Though you've obviously forgotten, you're not alone. You can play the blame game elsewhere. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes ma'am both men answered in unison. Not only had they forgotten where they were, they forgot that a civilian was still within earshot.

"What are the two of you talking about, what else has happened?" Helen wanted to know.

"Nothing," both men answered.

"It doesn't sound like nothing. A.B., I know those bruises have something to do with work, is there something else going on? Does Terri know?"

Stiles took a deep breath, hoping Liz or Chance would bail him out. Neither did. "Yes, Terri knows and there is a lot I'm not telling you because I can't." He turned his gaze on Chance and added sarcastically,"My boss might fire me for revealing matters of national security."

"You've already done that."

Helen stood there frowning, trying to figure out how to get someone to tell her what was really going on.

Liz and Carson worked for Homeland Security. After the problems Quinn caused, the President requested a separate committee inside the office to do mission follow-up and report the office's successes and failures. When Matt became liaison, several people suggested that Liz step down to avoid a conflict of interest. She fought hard to keep her job and even harder to ensure that there were no improprieties on her part.

She long suspected that Stiles was the agent that was captured in Iraq. The tidbits of conversation she overhead between Chance and Stiles confirmed her suspicions.

Liz pulled Chance away from Stiles. "Gentlemen, please remember where you are. This is not the time or the place. I've seen more unprofessional behavior from the two of you in the last ten minutes than I have seen from someone in your positions in a long time."

Both men just looked at her. Chance looked at his watch. "I've got to get back to work; it's going to be a late night if I don't. Liz, I'll talk to you later. I'm sorry about lunch ending on such a sour note." He kissed Liz, said goodbye to Helen and walked to his car without acknowledging Stiles.

Stiles said goodbye to Helen and was attempting to do the same with Liz when she stopped him, whispering in his ear. "Wait just a minute; I want to talk to you."

Stiles reluctantly agreed and moved aside while the ladies said goodbye. "Liz, I know something is going on between those two. What is it?"

"Helen, they're good friends, they work together, and neither of them is happy about being connected to my son right now. I think they just need a break from each other. I'm sure they'll be fine."

Helen was skeptical, but she smiled and said good-bye to her friend. On her way to her car, Helen pulled out her cell phone and called her daughter.

Liz turned her attention back to Stiles. "Liz, I can't tell you everything. Please understand. I would if I could, but I can't. You know how it is."

Liz had a feeling she would find out anyway so she let it go. "Alright, I'll accept that, but please tell me the truth about Matt. Are you the one who hit him?"

Stiles looked down at his hands. As much as he despised Matt, and as good as it felt to hit him, Stiles hated doing this to Liz. All he could manage was to shake his head yes.

Liz sighed and patted him on the shoulder. "It's okay honey. I know my son; as much as I love him, he can be hard to be around when he gets his mind set on something. I know it's been a rough year for you working with him while he was seeing Terri." Liz smiled and tried to lighten the conversation a bit. "He's the one we experimented on, you know, time outs instead of spanking. Maybe if I had just put him over my knee a few times…A.B., he's…" She sighed, "I just wish it hadn't come to this. I am very sorry that he's hurt you. Under different circumstances, I think the two of you would be friends."

Stiles doubted that very much, but he saw the disappointment in Liz's eyes and played along. "I'm sure we could have been Liz. I want you to know how much your family's support has meant to me. I think of Bailey as my little sister and you…well, between you and Helen I feel like I have a mother again. I'm sorry too."

Neither of them said another word. Liz hugged Stiles tightly for several minutes before they went their separate ways. As she drove home, she said a prayer that things would turn out alright—for all of them.


	77. Until Tonight

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 78: Until Tonight**

"Hello"

"Hey, beautiful. What time do you think you'll get out of there? Your husband has big plans for you tonight."

"That sounds nice. Unfortunately, I won't be leaving as soon as I would like. I really should have stayed yesterday; there's a lot going on. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, but remember what you promised."

Terri smiled. "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten. So, have you decided what you are doing with yourself this afternoon?"

"No, but I already had lunch. Guess who with?"

"I'm afraid to ask."

"Your mother."

"My mother?"

"And Liz and Chance."

"Chance was there? Did you two talk? I know you're not happy with him, or weren't."

"I'm still not and no we didn't talk. We argued, but we didn't talk."

"I know he feels bad about what's happened with you, with us. Don't wait too long to talk to him. You have been friends too long to end it like this."

"I'll think about it."

"If you don't talk to him, I may lock you two in Joshua's office until you make up."

"Yeah well, right now I'm only concerned with what he said to Carl. The way he covered for Matt before the mission, I don't know what to think about what he said after yesterday."

"Despite what happened with Iraq, I know he understands about yesterday. He was the one who insisted you talk to me remember?"

"Yeah."

Terri sighed and changed the subject; she could tell he wasn't ready to forgive Chance no matter what she said. "Mom called me earlier, but I didn't answer; I didn't feel like hearing what a disappointment I am. She's mad at me about yesterday. She said she was ashamed of me. Did she call you?"

Stiles felt a little bad for Terri, but he was grateful for the shift in conversation. "Honey she isn't mad at you. She loves you and she wants you to be happy." Stiles smiled. "And she knows that I make you happy."

Stiles didn't pause long enough for Terri to answer; he didn't want to give her a chance to disagree. "I called her. I knew she was worried about us so I called her when I got home."

"Yes, she is mad, but I'm sure she'll get over it, especially now that she knows you're home." Terri paused for a moment. "She is right about one thing."

"What's that?"

"You do make me happy."

Stiles was thrilled; he'd had an 'I love you,' and a 'you make me happy' already and the day was still young; he still had the evening (and a fashion show) to look forward to. He was so lost in his thoughts that he was a bit startled when Terri started laughing.

"Why are you laughing?"

She had been thinking about the inquisition Liz and Helen must have put them through. _If mom and Helen put them through anything like what they did Bailey and me, I can only imagine what happened._

"No reason, tell me about lunch."

Stiles didn't really believe her, but he let it go. "It was as interesting as you think it was. You know what those two are like when they get together."

Terri chuckled a little more as she thought about her impromptu fashion show for Bailey, Liz and Helen. She could guess what Liz and Helen had done to Chance and Stiles.

"All I will say is that they want grandchildren—soon."

"Oh dear."

"Yeah. And we ran into Callan."

"What was he doing there? Does Liz know what happened yesterday?"

"I don't know why he was there and yes, Liz knows I hit him, but I didn't have the heart to tell her the whole story."

"You told her you hit her son?"

"She took one look at his face and told him he looked like someone hit him. He looked right at me then told her some "employee" took his personal frustrations out on him. He followed that up with a little comment about the 'guy getting fired soon.'"

"Stiles…"

"No, I didn't hit him again—as much as I would have liked to. He's probably with Gage right now figuring out what to do with my office."

"Honey, don't worry about it, okay. There isn't anything we can do at this point; we've said all we can. Don't even think about Matt anymore. Try to enjoy the rest of your afternoon." Terri was trying to be positive, but it was hard.

"I'm trying. Look, I'm going to let you get back to work so you can come home."

"I love you."

"I love you too."


	78. Just Us

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**A/N:****Okay, so now the day will finally end.**

**Part 78b: Just Us**

Stiles covered the pans and put them in the refrigerator. He blew out the candles and eased into the Shiatsu recliner he'd just discovered Terri had delivered as an anniversary present. When he was comfortable, he turned on the television.

Terri walked in and sighed when she saw the table set. She set her bag on the stairs and followed the sound of the television. She stepped into the den to find Stilesasleep in his recliner. She smiled as she walked over to him and gently kissed his lips. She was startled when he kissed her back and pulled her into his lap.

She smiled down at him. "Hey you. I thought you were asleep."

"I wasn't asleep; I was resting my eyes. You didn't really think I'd fall asleep on you, did you?"

"I wouldn't have blamed you if you did. I'm sorry I'm so late."

"It's okay, you're here now." Stiles leaned up and kissed her again.

"I see you discovered the chair. Do you like it?"

"You have to ask? I love it. I may never get up."

"Hmm, I bet I can give you a reason to change your mind."

Terri leaned down and placed soft kisses on Stiles' cheek, neck, and finally his lips. Soon she was unbuttoning his shirt and sliding her hands up his chest. He didn't make a sound, but she felt him tense when she touched him.

"Are you okay?"

Stiles responded to her question by pulling her closer and kissing her. Terri pulled away and looked at him.

"What?"

"I'm hurting you."

"I'm fine."

Terri didn't say anything; she just looked at him, gently tracing the bruises on his face and then his chest with the back of her hand.

"I'm so sorry."

Stiles stopped her tracing and held her hand. "Honey, let's not talk about it now."

Terri kept staring at him. Each bruise was a reminder of what he went through in Iraq, how he thought she didn't love him, how Matt sent him there unprepared because of her.

Stiles frowned when he saw tears forming in her eyes.

"Terri,"

"I could have lost you. You shouldn't have had to go through that."

"It's part of the job, you know that."

"I heard them."

Stiles really didn't want to discuss it. He didn't want to talk period, but he knew she needed to.

"Heard what?"

"I walked in the control room when they were interrogating you. I heard what they did; I heard you scream. I wish…"

Stiles pulled her back to him and held her. "Shh, I'm here. I'm okay. Please don't cry."

It was too late. She hadn't really looked at him theday before. He was wearing a t-shirt when he went to bed so she hadn't noticed the cuts and bruises on his chest. All the crying she had done since he came home was because she was angry and upset about the other woman. When she looked at him now all she saw was the image of the tiny prison cell the Middle Eastern agents had sent to Langley.

She couldn't help crying. "Seeing the bruises just reminds me of what you've been through. I'm so sorry that you were hurt because of me. I…"

"Terri you had nothing to do with what happened to me in Iraq."

The tears were falling steadily. "Yes, I did. Matt sent you over there letting you think I didn't care about you. He sent you unprepared because he knew we were getting closer…You almost got yourself killed because you thought you were alone. Then when you got home, I wouldn't listen to you. Stiles I hit you." Terri stopped long enough to sniff and catch her breath. She then looked up into her husband's eyes and apologized to him again. "I'm so sorry you thought you didn't have anyone to come home to."

Terri buried her head in his chest and mumbled, "I'm sorry" over and over again as Stiles held her and told her he was okay. Within a few minutes, she had cried herself to sleep in his arms. It wasn't long before he too was asleep.

Stiles woke up just as theworldnews was ending. He opened his eyes, looked down at his sleeping wife, and gently lifted her. When he got to their bedroom, he laid her down and got himself ready for bed.

Stiles walked in the bathroom. It was while he brushed his teeth that he finally looked at himself. When he finished, he leaned closer to the mirror and examined his face and chest; to him, the bruises were almost nonexistent. They were nothing compared to what he saw the first time he looked at himself in the hospital, but he understood. To Terri they were reminders of her betrayal. She would have to deal with it just as he had.

He turned out the light and opened the door. He saw Terri and stopped just inside the threshold,and leanedagainst the doorframe. He smiled as he watched her pulling out and then holding up pajamas and gowns. She finally settled on one he'd never seen. He watched silently as Terri tossed first her skirt, then her blouse, and finally her bra onto the chair in the corner of the room. He swallowed hard and moistened his lips as he watched the short, almost sheer gown fall gracefully over her hips. '_I can't believe how beautiful she is.'_

"Remind me to thank Helen for dragging you to that lingerie store."

Terri jumped and turned around in time to see the Cheshire grin on Stiles' face.

She returned the smile as she faced Stiles. "I did promise you a fashion show. What do you think?"

"Come here."

Stiles greeted Terri with a hug and a slow, tender kiss.

"Feeling better after your nap?"

Terri nodded and kissed him back. When they came up for air, she took his hand, led him to the bed, and had him lie down. Stiles didn't argue when she sat next to him and began lightly kissing each bruise on his face, making her way down to his chest. It was as if, in a small way, she hoped each kiss would take away some of his pain. Stiles stopped her when he felt a tear his hit stomach.

"Terri, Terri." He gently lifted her as he sat up. "Look at me."

Terri looked up at him as he wiped her cheek and smiled.

"I love you."

"I love you too, very much."

"And you want me to feel better?"

She nodded.

"This…" Stiles, pulled her to him with one hand as he ran his other hand along her thigh and kissed her. "…will make both of us feel better."

Terri smiled, his point made.

"I just want to be close to you and forget about everything and everyone else for a while. Right now, it's just us."

Terri put her hand behind Stiles head and pulled him to her. She looked in his eyes and whispered, "Just us," then leaned overand turned out the light.


	79. The Attic

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 79: The Attic**

Stiles watched Terri as she lay next to him sleeping. They were finally here, in their home, in their bed --together. The previous evening had been only the third time they'd made love since they left Ireland twelve months earlier. Stiles wanted to wake up this way every morning.

He ran his fingers through Terri's hair as he thought about their last two days. As much as he loved his job, he didn't care what happened to it as long as he had her. He _wanted _his job; he _needed _her.

"Ummm, good morning." Terri purred as she stretched and looked at Stiles.

"Good morning."

"Can I wake up like this every day?"

"Hmm, I think that can be arranged Mrs. Stiles."

"What time is it?"

"Almost 6:00."

Terri pulled the sheet over her head. "Oh, can we stay at home today, right here, just like this?"

"Don't tempt me. Unfortunately, today's the day I face the music. If Carl hasn't decided to fire me, I don't want to give him reason to."

Terri rolled over and kissed her husband. "He's not going to fire you. I'm too valuable to the company for them to fire you; I told him I'll quit if he does."

Terri got the reaction she wanted. Stiles looked at her and laughed. "You're too valuable, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm the best artist they've got. Remember, I can forge any Visa from any country. They need me!"

Stiles laughed again and Terri threw a pillow at him.

"It wasn't that funny, but I'm glad to hear you laugh."

"Yeah," Stiles got out of bed and took Terri's hand. "Come on, get up. Let's get this day over with so we can come back home and pick up where we left off last night."

* * *

Terri walked out of the bathroom still mulling over what to wear. She finally pulled a dress out of the closet and tossed it over her shoulder while she looked for shoes. When the dress landed on the bed, the rose Stiles left there floated to the floor. 

Terri turned out the light as she left the bedroom and missed the card on the nightstand; she stepped on the rose petals in the hallway. She didn't miss Stiles standing at the end of the hall with a big grin on his face.

"What are you doing?"

"Waiting for you."

Terri smiled. "Why? What are you up to?"

Stiles held out his arm and motioned for Terri to take his hand. "Come with me."

Terri didn't know what he was up to, but she was intrigued. She took his hand and followed him up to the attic.

Stiles unlocked the attic door then turned to help Terri up the final few steps. "Close your eyes."

"Stiles, we're going to be late."

"Will you stop worrying, please; we have plenty of time."

Stiles had Terri open her eyes. He frowned his brow when he saw the look of disappointment on her face. She looked around and saw a small table in the middle of the room covered with paper.

"Honey, I don't…"

Stiles took her hand again and led her to the table. "They're blueprints."

"Blueprints?"

Stiles was slightly frustrated because she didn't get it. The blueprints were on the table and next to the table were an easel and blank canvas, artist's paint and brushes. "For your studio."

Terri took a closer look at the items on the table, threw her arms around Stiles' neck, and kissed him. "You're making a studio for me?"

Stiles just smiled sheepishly. "Well, you did say you wanted one some day, so…"

"When did you do this?"

"I decided to do it a long time ago, before the wedding actually. I just picked up this stuff yesterday afternoon. They start the work next weekend."

"Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome. There's one more thing you need to see. Look in the closet."

Terri walked over to the closet and smiled at him over her shoulder. "What's in here?"

"Do you remember the last time I had you look in that closet?"

Terri was tired of crying, but she wasn't upset when she felt tears forming this time. She remembered well the last time he had her look in that closet; it was the night he proposed. "Uh huh"

Stiles was still smiling, "Go ahead, open it."

Terri opened the door and looked on the built-in seat. There was a rose there just like the last time, but instead of an invitation, there were two small velvet boxes.

"Stiles, what is this?"

Stiles took the boxes from her hands and led her back into the open part of the attic. He opened one box to reveal the emerald and diamond ring that had once belonged to his grandmother.

"It was getting lonely; I thought it was about time I gave it back. That is, if you want it." Terri nodded that yes, she wanted her engagement ring back. When she reached for the ring Stilespulled back the box andclosed it. 

"Not yet."

Terri felt a knot form in her stomach; he still wasn't sure about her.

Stiles saw the concern on her face and quickly kissed her. He then opened the other box revealing two diamond wedding bands. Stiles took one out of the box, held it up. "our wedding band," and put it on Terri's left ring finger.

"Now for grandma's ring." He slipped the engagement ring on next to the band.

"This one" Stiles held up the other, brand new matching band, "seals it. For better or worse, till death do us part."

Terri was speechless. She was still amazed that after everything he still wanted her, still loved her as much as he did when he married her. When she finally pulled her eyes away from the sparkling diamonds on her hand, she looked up to see a wide grin on Stiles' face.

After a long, tender kiss, Terri looked up into Stiles' eyes and told him exactly what he needed to hear.

"I love you very much A.B. Stiles and I will spend the rest of my life proving it to you."

* * *

Terri couldn't stop staring at her rings as Stiles drove them to work. She finally felt married and she loved the warm, fuzzy feeling it gave her inside. 

Though Stiles was smiling as he watched Terri, he was worried. In less than an hour, he was going to find out Carl's decision. He didn't dare let himself think the best; he needed to be prepared for the worst.

Terri looked up at him as they pulled into the garage. He tried to hide his nervousness from her, but when she looked into his eyes, she could see it.

"Are you okay?"

Stiles forced a smile and nodded. "Yeah."

Terri didn't believe him, so as they entered the building, she took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "No matter what, we're in this together. We're in this together."


	80. Fallout Part 1: Matt

**Title:** The More Things Change--Fallout

**Disclaimer:** See Part 1

**A/N:** I considered ending _The More Things Change_ after the last chapter and doing a sequel; however, instead of a new story, you get a new section aptly entitled:

**FALLOUT**

**Fallout Part 1--Matt**

At 7:00 AM, while Terri and Stiles were on their way to work, Carl was meeting with Matt. Carl wanted to make decisions fast; too many people saw the "show" in OTS and knew about the problems in Iraq.

"Good morning Matt, please sit down."

Matt looked around nervously as he sat. He'd had all night to wonder what Stiles said. He hadn't talked to Terri, but he was sure Carl had talked to her too and he was worried.

"I've watched you and Stiles snip at each other since the day you took over the IRT. I've watched Stiles try to pretend he wasn't bothered that you were dating his wife, and I've watched you do what I thought was a phenomenal job of juggling Stiles and Terri--that is until two days ago. What I saw downstairs was an embarrassment to this agency.

Can you imagine how it would have looked if I had brought the President down there? If he'd gotten wind of what was going on around here? This agency has been under enough fire as it is; we don't need additional distractions."

"I apologize for my role in what happened. Stiles is under my control and I should have made sure things didn't get that bad."

Carl dismissed Matt's comment; at this point, he wanted more than empty apologies.

"You gave me your version of events and I have spoken with Terri, Stiles, and Chance, along with several others. After listening to all of you this is my take on the events of the past several months:

You were interested in Terri romantically when Mr. Quinn sent you underground. You were still interested in her when you came back only to find that she was involved with Mr. Stiles, who had the position you felt should have been yours. How am I doing so far?"

Matt was squirming in his seat. He didn't like where this was going; everything Carl said was right on the money. "Fine sir."

"You had no idea that Terri and Stiles were married when youreturned last year, but you found out shortly after discovering thatTerri had no memory of their relationship. She did, however remember her friendship with you and you took advantage of that."

"I'm not sure that I would characterize what I did as taking advantage…"

Carl held up his hand and continued talking. "What I find most interesting is what led up to the events of two days ago. Naturally, I don't expect you not to assign an agent to a mission because his wife wants him home, but this case seems to have been different. You requested permission to step up our involvement in Iraq and volunteered Mr. Stiles to go undercover in that assignment knowing he would be gone a minimum of two weeks. I have come to learn that Terri told him she would divorce him and ostensibly date you exclusively if she didn't regain her memory by their first anniversary. Do you know the date of their wedding anniversary, Matt?"

Matt was beginning to feel sick to his stomach and briefly considered lying. "June 30."

"So, Mr. Stiles was sent out of the country with little chance of returning before that date. While he was gone to the conference in Chicago, the one you convinced me you he should attend, you somehow managed to spend the night in his house in his wife's bedroom."

"Yes sir." Matt didn't know what else to say. Someone had been talking—a lot!

"He somehow got the impression that you were having a sexual relationship with Terri and you made no attempt to correct that impression?"

"I…"

Carl cut him off, not really wanting to hear the lie Matt was about to tell.

"You let him go to Iraq thinking his wife was going to leave him?"

"No, he…I didn't tell him we slept together. He could have asked her."

Carl opened a file folder and looked at the contents briefly. "Well I hear that he didn't have an opportunity to see her before he left." He looked at the file again. "She was out of the building working on a project for you when he came in to pick up his credentials for the mission.

I also learned that Mr. Chancellor attempted to discuss with you Mr. Stiles' state-of-mind before he left for Iraq. What was the result of that conversation?"

Matt tried to remember what he and Chance discussed. Then he remembered Chance's outburst while Stiles was gone, "I wouldn't have let him go…" He then remembered what Terri said, "…You made this personal!"

At this point, Matt didn't even bother to protest. He just sat back and tried to think of a way out to the mess he'd gotten himself into.

"Carl, he punched me—twice—in front of the staff. That's grounds for immediate dismissal. I want him out of here." For the first time, Matt was seriously worried that he could lose _his_ job.

Carl wanted to punch Matt himself. "Matt, all of the things you did to manipulate Terri and to undermine their relationship are completely lacking in character and decency, but they aren't punishable offenses. While unfortunate, neither is the fact that you manipulated me into sending Mr. Stiles to that conference in Chicago.

However, what you did concerning the Iraq mission is derelict of duty. You purposely inflated the need to enter Iraq early then sent an unprepared agent into a very volatile situation. That same agent was in an emotionally fragile state—that you created. Not only did he nearly get himself killed, he almost, albeit unwittingly, sabotaged our efforts in the area and endangered the lives of other agents and civilians. He had no business on that mission!

Beyond that, we're now subject to scrutiny over the discovery of Mr. Stiles' identity. We're still trying to ascertain how that discovery was made, though from what I've gathered so far, your lack of preparation is no doubt at least partially to blame.

Matt, you let your personal feelings for him come before the mission of this agency and that is unacceptable." Carl was worn out after dealing with the entire mess, but he wanted to give Matt one more chance to explain himself. "Do you have anything you would like to add in your favor?"

Matt had nothing. He was scared to death. Matt sat there less than a minute (though it felt much longer) without speaking. Then his self-preservation kicked in.

"Sir all of the things you mentioned are true to an extent and if looked at the way you presented them, they do sound damaging. However, when looked at individually—as separate incidents—you will see that the circumstances warranted many of the actions I took. Mr. Stiles was the best agent available for Iraq. I may have misread the analysis, but that had nothing to do with sending Mr. Stiles. I just chose the course of action I felt best. As for his emotional state, he and I have never discussed his emotions—he's been cleared by psych and I…"

Carl had had enough. The more Matt talked the more ridiculous he sounded. Carl picked up his phone. "We're ready for you."

"Ready for whom? What's going on?"

Carl didn't answer. He didn't want to hear another word from Matt; he would find out soon enough. Chance entered the room moments later. Carl wanted someone else to witness what he was about to do.

"Chance, what are you doing here?"

"As deputy director, I am obligated to be present when a high-ranking official is reprimanded."

"Reprimanded? So I'm being reprimanded, huh? How is it that I was the one who was punched by his subordinate and yet I am also the one getting slapped on the wrist?"

"Matt, I've read and heard the accounts—yours and everyone else's who was involved. You let your personal feelings for both Terri and Stiles affect your judgment. If I had known what you were up to I may have punched you myself."

"Chance"

"Sorry sir. As I was saying, your position calls for more personal fortitude and dignity than what you have been able to provide. I'm sorry I pulled for you to get the job. It doesn't do much for my reputation."

When Chance finished, Carl delivered the verdict. "Matt, as of this moment you are relieved of your duties as Liaison to Homeland Security. I've discussed my decision with the President and an interim liaison will be named tomorrow afternoon."

"That's it! I'm done? Just like that, I'm fired? What about Stiles? He's off the hook?"

"First of all, because of your years of service and because of the respect I have for your parents' current and former positions, you have not been fired, just relieved of your position. You have been reassigned to a field position. You are expected in Germany Monday morning. The demotion will become part of your permanent record with the Agency. If there are any other incidents, no matter how minor, you will be fired without question. Is that clear?"

Matt growled out a 'yes sir' then repeated his question about Stiles.

"As far as Stiles, he is no longer your concern. I have a meeting in 10 minutes. Chance will walk you through the rest."

Matt sat there stunned. He couldn't believe that all he had worked for, all he'd endured at the hands of Robert Quinn was out the window. Not only was he back to being an agent, he would have to leave the States again; he promised his parents there would be no more long term overseas assignments. He'd lost Terri and now he was losing his job.


	81. Fallout Part 2: Stiles

**Title: The More Things Change **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1 **

**Part 81 **

**FALLOUT Part 2: Stiles**

Stiles was outside Carl's office when Chance and Matt walked out.He was 10 minutes early, but after wandering around the building for half an hour he had run out of things to do. Neither Matt nor Stiles looked at the other.

"Morning Stiles" was all Chance could manage under the circumstances. There was not much else he could say with both men standing there.

When Stiles saw Chance with Matt, he felt sick; if Matt and Chance were coming out of there, they were probably discussing him. If Matt was in the discussion, he was sure he was about to be handed his walking papers.

Stiles sat outside Carl's office and waited.

"Mr. Stiles, Mr. Reese will see you now." Stiles nodded politely to Mrs. Ayana and walked slowly to the door—as if taking his time would improve his chances.

"Good morning Mr. Stiles."

"Sir" Stiles tried to sound confident as he sat down.

"As you know, I requested information from Mr. Callan, Terri, and Mr. Chancellor about what happened in OTS the other day. I also spoke with a few other relevant parties to get their take on the events of not only Tuesday, but the past year. I learned some very interesting things in those conversations.

Stiles, this is the second time I have seen you show a complete lack of respect for a superior, I have to look at this as your second offense."

Stiles wasn't sure what the first time was. He was about to ask when Carl continued.

"Both incidents involved Terri."

"Carl, Terri doesn't have anything to do with the way I behaved; it was my decision. I'm not sure…"

"Stiles let me finish. You were justified after Mr. Quinn's involvement with her kidnapping, but Mr. Callan is not Mr. Quinn."

Stiles was now more than a little worried. He had faced losing his job twice before—during the Senate hearings over the botched heart transplant and after he rescued Terri behind Quinn's back. Both times, he felt justified; the Senators exonerated him for what happened in South America and what happened with Quinn wasn't purely about Terri. This time it was personal and everyone knew it.

"I admire the loyalty and love you have for your wife, but I can't just let this slide. What you did is inappropriate. I hope you understand that."

"Of course and I am truly sorry it happened, especially in the manner that it did."

Carl nodded in acceptance. "After evaluating the information I have decided, with Chance's input, to place you on three weeks administrative leave. During those three weeks, you may neither enter the Langley complex nor have any unauthorized contact with any Agency employee."

Stiles sat quietly, letting the information sink in; he was being suspended for three weeks. Not fired. He wasn't going to lose his job!

"I want you to understand that after your mistake in Iraq, I cannot retain you as the head of the IRT unless there were circumstances beyond your control."

Stiles was at a loss for words. What did he mean by circumstances beyond his control? Did his idiot boss count as circumstances beyond his control?

Carl saw Stiles' face and filled in the blanks before Stiles could get himself into more trouble. "A wife with amnesia, a boss who is dating your wife, and working on an assignment to solve a terrorist attack in which you were directly involved, in my opinion, qualify as extenuating circumstances."

Stiles let out a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"I'd like to keep you around here a little longer. You can be a valuable asset to this agency in the future. You are a valuable asset to this agency now."

"Thank you sir, for everything."

"I'm not finished. I expect you to get you to get your personal life together. As a condition of your return and according to the guidelines for this type of suspension, you must attend counseling with one of our therapists once a week until the therapist releases you. Your first appointment is tomorrow; Mrs. Ayana has all of the information you need."

"Counseling?"

"Yes, counseling and I'm sending Terri with you. I could send you alone, but I should have made the two of you go together months ago. This job ended my marriage; I don't want that to happen to the two of you. You've come too far and so have the rest of us."

He was so relieved that he wasn't fired Stiles let himself laugh at Carl's attempt at humor; he couldn't wait to talk to Terri.

"I want to make sure I understand correctly. If I take a three-week suspension and go to counseling with Terri I can keep my job?"

"Yes"

"Thank you."

"Stiles, don't thank me. I just followed protocol."

That wasn't true and Stiles knew it; there was no protocol for this except firing. Carl was in his corner even if he didn't want to admit it.

"One more thing: There is a meeting with the other team members involved. I think an apology is in order."

"Absolutely sir. One question if I may."

"You will no longer be working for Mr. Callan; his successor has yet to be named."

Stiles' jaw dropped. Matt was gone? Did he dare ask why?

He decided against it. Things were going very well considering and he didn't want to risk it. He knew he would find out later anyway.

Carl looked at his watch.

"We should be on our way to the conference room."

* * *

While Carl was explaining to Stiles the details of his suspension, Chance was meeting with Matt on the details of his new assignment.

"I can't believe this! What did you tell him?"

"Matt, you know I can't discuss that with you."

"Of course you can! I'm your brother-in-law! What is Bailey going to say? Mom and Dad? I can't believe this; he punches me—twice--and I'm the one losing my job? He better have lost his job over this too and I don't mean a reassignment, I mean he better have been fired!"

"Matt, I can't discuss Stiles with you either."

Matt was pacing the room like a caged animal. "Great! That's just great! Go ahead,take your buddy's side. Don't expect too much love at the next family gathering. My parents may not forgive you for this one. Oh, and you'll probably be on the couch tonight!"

Chance was avoiding eye contact. As thrilled as he was that Matt would be out of his hair and away from Terri and Stiles, Matt was right. Bailey, Liz, and Carson wouldn't be happy and for that, Chance felt bad. He couldn't let Matt see the guiltily expression he knew was marring his face.

Instead, he turned to Matt, and shoved his index finger in his chest."That's enough! How dare you imply that I have been anything other than professional during this whole mess? This is not about family; this is about you not doing your job. You sentStiles to Iraq early knowing we weren't ready. You let him walk into the middle of a minefield while he's thinking his wife was sleeping with you—thinking that she was leaving him.

He could have been killed out there because you wanted another shot with Terri. In his state of mind, he could easily have exposed our whole operation! You lost perspective Matt; you forgot what this is supposed to be about. You let a personal vendetta against your subordinate get in the way of our mission. That is why you were demoted."

"How dare I? What about you?"

Chance opened his mouth to defend himself and just as quickly changed his mind. "This converstation is over; I have a meeting to go to."

No sooner than Chance finished speaking did two armed military escorts walk in. "They'll walk you to your office so you can get your personal things. Mrs. Ayana has the information about your new assignment. If you want to wait in your office, I'll send Bailey down to say goodbye."

Chance looked at the solemn-looking man left in his office and shook his head. As angry as he was, telling his brother-in-law that he had lost his job was still one of the hardest things he had ever had to do. He didn't even want to think about Bailey's reaction.


	82. Fallout Part 3: Terri

**Title: The More Things Change **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 82: Fallout Part 3--Terri**

Everyone filed into the conference room not knowing what to expect.

Chance met Stiles and Carl outside his office then walked to the conference room with them. Not one of the men uttered a word as they approached the room.

Joshua, Jackson, Lex, Bailey, and Terri were talking quietly when the three men entered.

Terri looked up at Stiles trying to find some sign as to what happened. She finally exhaled when Stiles mouthed, "It's okay." as he walked to the front of the room with Carl.

Chance took his seat next to Bailey and held her hand under the table; she had no idea what was about to hit her.

"Good morning. This will be short. I asked all of you here to clear up a few things concerning the incident between Mr. Callan and Mr. Stiles earlier this week. Before I begin, Mr. Stiles has something to say."

Stiles looked around nervously. "I know what happened the other day was uncomfortable for all of you and I sincerely apologize. I let a personal situation spill over into work and I want you to know it will not happen again. I also want to thank you for your support the last few months; it has meant a great deal."

A low chorus of "no problems", "you're welcomes", and pats on the back took up the next few minutes. Terri just smiled at him and squeezed his hand. She felt guilty for her part. If only she had been nicer to him and stopped seeing Matt sooner. If only she had never agreed to go out with Matt in the first place they wouldn't been sitting here.

Carl broke up the party.

"In light of Mr. Stiles' actions, I have placed him on administrative leave for the next three weeks."

Several mouths flew open. Stiles squeezed Terri's hand. "It was expected; I'll be back."

Chance saw the worried expressions on Bailey's and Terri's faces. He looked at Bailey and smiled. She furrowed her brow as she looked around and whispered, "Why are you smiling? This isn't good. I know it could be worse, butI know that administrative leave means suspension and that is not good."

"Carl, I'm afraid I have to interject here."

"Chance?"

"Stiles wasn't the only one involved in the altercation with Mr. Callan. I believe Terri also had a physical confrontation with him the same day. In fact, I believe Matt still has a bruise from where she threw him on the floor. I'm not sure that we should overlook that."

Bailey kicked Chance under the table and refused to look at him. "How could you?" she whispered loudly. Stiles was mouthing the same thing as he shook his head. Their friendship was definitely over.

No one else spoke; they all, including Terri, turned to Carl awaiting his response. "I agree. I am sorry Terri, but Chance is right. I overlooked your part in all of this. You are also on administrative leave effective Monday. We can discuss the specifics later. At the end of the day you and Mr. Stiles will need to leave your ID's with Mrs. Ayana and she will arrange for your escort outof the building."

He knew exactly what Chance was doing. Terri's face was turning red; she had not expected this. She had never been suspended from anything. When Stiles looked at Chance and saw the expression on his face, he once again whispered to Terri, "It's okay."

As soon as Bailey saw the looks going back and forth between Chance and Stiles, she and everyone else (except Lex and Terri) realized that Carl was giving them some much-needed time alone.

Then it hit her, where was Matt? he should have been in the meeting.

"Wait. Carl, where is Matt?"

Carl looked down. He was not looking forward to this. "Mr. Callan is no longer serving in the capacity of Homeland Security Liaison. He has graciously agreed to take an overseas field assignment. Today is his last day with us. He will be in the office the rest of the morning if you would like to wish him well. That is all. Let's get back to work."

Terri finally looked around the room at everyone. She must have missed something; she was so shocked at that news of her suspension, she missed the subtle clues that everyone else got. She also missed Carl's last announcement.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Stiles wanted to repeat it for her. He wanted to smile, jump for joy, and shout that Matt was gone out of their lives, a bad memory, but Bailey beat him to it.

"They demoted Matt."

"Bay, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

Stiles wasn't sorry that Matt was leaving, but he was sorry that Bailey was hurting. He opened his mouth to say something to her when Terri stopped him. She didn't like the look on Bailey's face. She had seen that look before and she knew it meant 'not now.' She took Stiles by the arm and guided him out of the room. There had been enough ugliness in the office for one week.

As soon as they were in the hall, Stiles whispered to Terri, "Follow me." They walked silently to his office. Once inside, Stiles picked her up and spun her around.

"Stiles, put me down!" Terri was still smarting over her suspension while Stiles was in a more celebratory mood.

"It's over. Matt is gone, you have your memory back." Stiles put her down and kissed her.

"Stiles, it's not okay. I've never been suspended—from anything. I can't believe this. How can you be so happy?"

"I am going to haves ome time alone with my wife just hanging out. I get to keep my job and my boss is being shipped out of town. What's not to be happy about?"

Terri stood quietly for a minute processing the last 30 minutes. "Stiles."

"Yeah"

"I'm sorry. If I hadn't…I can't believe what I put you through… Last night was great, but are we really okay?"

Stiles put both hand on her cheeks and gently held her head as he looked into her eyes. "Absolutely. Now go finish whatever it is you have to do today so we can get out of here." Stiles gave her a quick kiss and smiled as she left him. He thought it best that Carl tell her about the counseling.

Chance and Carl waited for the others to leave the room. When Carl noticed Bailey, he whispered to Chance that he would give them a few minutes then headed toward the door.

Bailey was furious. She sat perfectly still as her blood pressure slowly rose to its boiling point. She placed her faith and trust in her husband and her boss; they were supposed to do the right thing. She voluntarily gave her input hoping to insulate her brother. _This_ was not happening. Matt loved his job; he wanted to stay in the U.S. He was stubborn and thickheaded at times, but this was wrong.


	83. Fallout Part 4: Bailey and Chance

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1 **

**

* * *

**

**Part 83: **

**Fallout Part 4—Bailey and Chance**

"Carl, may I speak to you for a moment?" Bailey caught him just as his foot crossed the threshold into the hallway. He thought he was free.

He paused long enough to take the deep breath. He knew he was going to need it to get through this conversation. Once his lungs were satisfied, Carl closed the door and returned to his seat at the head of the table.

Bailey looked at her husband, who was fidgeting nervously by the door. He wasn't sure whether to leave or stay. Bailey made the choice for him. "…alone." She added the single word without looking back. She didn't want to give Chance time to talk her out of this. Chance knew his wife well enough to leave without putting up a fight.

The latch on the door had barely reconnected when Bailey started in on Carl. "You demoted him? How could you? He loves this job. He's good at it!"

"Bailey, I had no choice, you know that. You also know I can't discuss this with you."

"Don't give me that Carl! This is me; I'm not some low-level rookie. I know what goes on around here. Robert Quinn wasn't removed until Stiles threatened to go public with Quinn and Joshua's involvement with North Korea. We both know he committed who knows how many other atrocities prior to that right under everyone's nose and kept his position. The President reappointed him to this office! No one was kidnapped, no one was killed here! I volunteered to give information to you and this is what you do with it? Why didn't you just suspend him too?"

"Bailey, l understand that you're upset. Nothing you said would have swayed me in either direction. I already knew everything you told me, but I listened to you plead his case and Stiles'. I wanted to hear you. I wanted to give you an opportunity to tell me something I didn't already know—you didn't. As far as Quinn goes, I wasn't DCI at the time; I would have gotten rid of him a lot sooner.I won't put up with this type of thing under my watch. I made that clear when I took over; I made it clear to Matt when he took the job. This just isn't the best place for him right now. This isn't a death sentence, just a reassignment.

You are one of our best analysts Bailey, but sometimes you, like Matt, let your personal feelings affect your judgment. I'm sure that once you _and Matt _have had some time to think about everything you'll see that we came to the correct decision."

Bailey placed her hands in her lap and closed her eyes. This was not happening. Her brother was leaving the country again and her husband was responsible for it. She opened her eyes to see Carl watching her intently.

"Chance was involved in this decision?"

"Bailey, I've already said enough. Go say goodbye to your brother."

She wanted to scream, grab him, shake some sense into him, but she knew better. Instead, she continued facing the wall as he walked out behind her. Several minutes passed before Bailey was composed enough to walk to her husband's office.

Chance had a headache. Enduring Matt's wrath had been tough, watching Bailey's face fall when she heard of Matt's demotion was worse. He could feel the veins in his forehead constrict when she appeared in his doorway; he flinched when she slammed the door. He knew what Carl must have told her.

"Bailey, I…"

"I don't want to hear it! He is my brother Chance. You should have tried harder. You know how much he loves this job; this is what he has worked for his entire career."

"Bailey, think about all the things that could have happened. He was so focused on keeping Terri away from Stiles that he couldn't think straight. You read the reports on the Iraq mission; Stiles shouldn't have been sent in when he was. He could have been killed Bailey. And what about Stiles and Terri's marriage?"

Bailey huffed. "Terri and Stiles are fine."

"Are they? Have you talked to either of them this morning?"

Bailey scrunched her face and rolled her eyes. Why did it matter if she'd talked to them? They both saw them walk out of the building holding hands two days earlier. The last thing Terri told her the previous day was that she was eager to get home to her husband. They looked fine in the conference room.

"No, why?"

"Helen called me yesterday. Stiles threatened to leave her."

Bailey stopped pouting and turned around. "What do you mean? She would have told me."

"He went back home, but Terri found something that belonged to the girl he brought home the other night and she went ballistic. They argued and she told him she was going to stay with her parents for the night. He ended up walking out instead. Just because he didn't end up leaving, doesn't mean everything is fine. You know it can't be easy for them. It's been a long time."

Bailey put her head down. "Chance I'm sure they'll be fine. This isn't all Matt's fault."

"Bailey, Matt is at the center of it. He dated Terri for months and threw it in Stiles' face at every opportunity. Then when she finally goes back to him, Matt pulls that stunt at their house and sends him out of the country. This is the first time Stiles even thought about walking away from Terri. You know he wouldn't have brought that girl home if he hadn't already thought Terri was gone. Whatever happened sent him over the edge. Helen said he told Terri he'd had enough, that he didn't care anymore. Bay, honey, they may look okay, but a lot has happened between them, some things I'm sure we don't even know about."

Bailey slumped into a chair as he finished. She wanted to bury her head in her hands and cry for all of them. "Why did you suggest she be suspended? Did you see the look on her face?"

"I thought it would give her some time alone with Stiles. They need some time together away from this place. Honey, I know how much you care about all three of them, especially Matt. I know this is difficult for you too, but we couldn't overlook Matt's mistakes."

"But how could you take away his job?" She already knew the answer as she looked at the lines forming on her husband's smooth skin. He looked exhausted.

Chance knew she was hurt; he also knew she was very aware of what he and Carl needed to do. She just didn't want it to happen. She knew. Chance knew. He walked over to her, squatting so they were level. Gently lifting her head, Chance pressed his lips to her forehead as he pulled her into him.

"I'm not going to cry."

He laughed at how well they knew each other. When she was sad or upset he kissed her forehead and held her. She was a strong woman and in the time they had known each other, he had few opportunities to take care of her, but when she needed him, he knew just how to comfort her.

"I love you."

"I know." She tilted her head up and saw the most beautiful green eyes. When she stared into them too long, she always got lost. "I know you did what you could and what you and Carl thought necessary for the Agency. I just…I just hoped it wouldn't come to this. All those months I warned him. Why didn't he just listen? Why couldn't he let her go? Why did he need to hurt Stiles?"

"I don't know darlin'. Only Matt can answer those questions and right now, I don't think even he knows. Maybe with some time off and some soul-searching, he will figure it out."

Bailey sighed and got up. "I should go talk to him. How is he?"

"Not real happy with me. I had to tell him about the new assignment. He told me I would probably end up on the couch tonight. For a minute there I thought he may be right."

Bailey punched him playfully and winked at him on her way out the office. "The day is still young."


	84. Fallout Part 5: Brother and Sister

**Title: The More Things Change **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1 **

**Part 84: Fallout Part 5—Brother and Sister**

"May I come in?"

"I can't stop you. I no longer work here."

"I'm sorry Matt."

"Are you?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Carl told me he talked to you. No, he told me _you_ talked to him. What did you say Bailey? I know you were rooting for Stiles, but I cannot believe my own sister sold me out. Oh wait; you're married to the deputy director."

"That's not fair. I did no such thing!" Bailey felt the same rage rising that she felt when she talked to Carl. Before she realized she was doing it, Bailey had one hand on her hip, the other index finger pointed directly in her brother's face.

"I went to bat for you. I told him you were good at your job. I told him that you belong here working with Homeland Security. I even tried to use your love for Terri as a defense of your behavior with Stiles. The thing is Matt, the more I think about what happened, the less I believe it's about Terri. It's about some macho need you have to outdo Stiles. Because of what you did, he took another woman home, Terri threatened to leave him, and…"

When Matt heard the words Terri and leave and he got excited. When Bailey saw the smile creep across her brother's face, she was disgusted and angry. While he was congratulating himself on finally breaking up the marriage and on "beating Stiles," Bailey was walking toward him furiously. She gave Matt a backhand so hard her engagement ring cut his lip.

Matt was stunned. He never expected her to hit him. She hadn't hit him since they were kids, fighting over one of Eric's hand-me-down toys and she'd never hit him like this.

"What happened to you Matt? When did you turn into, into a…" Bailey paused and nearly whispered the word "monster" as she backed away from him.

He was hurt, humiliated, and angry--with himself. He set down the box he was filling and sat on the edge of his desk dabbing the blood from his face. After several minutes of silence, he looked up at his little sister.

"I don't know Bay. I don't know. I was so psyched when I came back and saw her; she seemed just as happy to see me. When I asked her out…Bailey, I wanted to do that for so long. All the time I was away I thought about what could have been then Stiles—Quinn's guy—was here and everybody, including "my girl," acted like the guy hung the moon."

Bailey was upset that Matt was leaving but she had had enough of his pity party. "Matt, do you hear yourself? Terri was never "your girl." You never bothered to ask her out; you just assumed she would always be there. Stiles wanted her and he let her know."

Matt rolled his eyes. "I forgot you're on the Stiles bandwagon too."

"Stop it. You know I care about you. I just want you to look at yourself. Look at your life and figure out what you want."

"I want Terri."

"Well you can't have her. She is in love with her husband. If you weren't so intent on beating Stiles you would have seen that months ago. If you had listened to me, to Chance, to everyone else months ago you wouldn't be on your way to Germany!"

"She didn't even want anything to do with him when we first started seeing each other. Then she told me they would probably get divorced."

"That's true, but Stiles did everything he could to win her over; he would move heaven and earth for her. Matt, he offered to step aside when they first found out you were alive. He told her that if she wanted to be with you he wouldn't stand in the way. He wanted her to be happy. She loved him then and she still loves him."

Matt sighed and tried to interrupt; he didn't want to hear anymore about "saint Stiles." but Bailey wasn't finished.

"Matt you let him go to Iraq thinking she was sleeping with you after you knew she wanted to be with him. In the end, even without getting her memory back, she finally gave him a chance and fell in love with him again. What if Stiles had been killed? What do you think Terri would have been gone through? How would you have explained yourself when everything came out?"

"I don't know what I was thinking, I didn't want Stiles to die; I just wanted Terri."

He left his perch at the end of his desk and looked out into the adjacent communications room, his back to her. "How did I let this happen? You warned me. You told me to let her go. How could I…" He paused then turned unexpectedly as it dawned on him. "It's him Bailey; I don't get what you all see in him. I don't like him and he has her. Do you think she'd take me back?"

"Have you completely lost your mind? I think you're insane! Somehow, in your twisted mind, you actually believe that you love her. If you loved her, you would let her go. No, she won't take you back! She loves Stiles, her _husband_. I doubt she wants anything to do with you and I can't blame her. I'm not so sure I want anything to do with you!"

Matt didn't say anything. He watched in silence as his little sister walked out and slammed the door behind her. He wondered aloud how things had become such a mess. The grand plan he'd devised over the past few months had just come crashing in on him.


	85. Fallout Part 6: Helen and Liz

**Title: The More Things Change **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1 **

**Part 85:** **Fallout Part 6—Helen**

Stiles quickly finished his last report. He and Terri agreed that he would go home as soon as he finished and she would meet him later. Terri had a lot more work to do. The only good thing about it was that Joshua knew he had to leave her alone if he wanted all of her projects finished or near finished before she left.

"Terri, are you alright? You looked pretty upset when Carl said you're suspended."

Terri smiled when she saw the genuine concern on Lex's face. "I'm okay. I'm going to think of it as a vacation---with my husband."

Stiles walked into the office to hear the tail end of Lex and Terri's conversation. "Hey."

"Hey"

"I'm on my way home. I just left Carl's office. He wants to talk to you before you leave today."

"What does he want?"

Stiles smiled, giving her a purposely-vague answer, "To talk to you."

"It's a good thing I like you so much. Do you want me to walk out with you?"

"Yes, but don't. The "guards" are waiting on me in the hall." A worried expression reappeared on Terri's face. Stiles took her hand and led her to the door. "It's okay, really. Just finish here and meet me at home later. Everything will be okay. I promise." Stiles kissed her cheek and left Terri standing in the doorway.

Terri mumbled, "I hope so" as he walked away.

* * *

An hour later, Stiles was at home. He had no idea what he was going to do with himself. He was thrilled that Terri would be home with him; he knew he would have climbed the walls if he'd been left alone for three weeks. 

Stiles walked into the living room with his head down as he leafed through the mail. He nearly jumped out of his skin a few moments later.

"What are you doing home in the middle of the day--again?"

Stiles dropped the envelopes he was holding as he spun around. "Helen! What are you doing here? You just about gave me a heart attack!"

"And Liz"

Stiles looked over Helen's shoulder to see Liz Callan coming out of his kitchen.

"Okay, what are the two of you doing here?"

"Well, it was supposed to be a surprise for you and Terri. She said you'd both be home around 6:30."

"I got off early. What's the surprise?"

"A little anniversary party—just the family and a few friends."

Stiles finally looked around. There were streamers and a banner decorating the room and a package on the table. He didn't mask his disappointment when he replied, "Oh."

"Oh? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. A party may be just what she needs."

"Terri needs a party? Why, what's wrong now?"

Stiles knew he couldn't go into what happened at the office, especially with Liz standing right there. As relieved as he was that Matt would be out of his life, he didn't want to be the one to break the news to Liz.

"Nothing Helen, everything's fine. As a matter of fact, we're both going to be on vacation starting today."

"Really? That's wonderful. After everything that has happened I think you need it."

She had no idea. The phone rang before anyone could say anything else.

"Hi honey. Guess who's here?"

Terri frowned. She couldn't imagine who could be at their house, though Stiles didn't sound upset.

"Do I want to know?"

"Your mother and Liz. They planned…"

Helen snatched the phone from his hand before he could finish. Holding the mouthpiece close to her chest, she admonished her son-in-law. "Don't tell her. At least one of you can be surprised!"

"Stiles, Stiles!"

"Sorry, I lost the phone for a moment. As I was saying, they didn't get enough time with me yesterday so they stopped by."

"As wonderful as you are, I have a hard time believing that."

Stiles laughed. "Okay, they brought over an anniversary present."

"Really? What is it?"

"I don't know; I thought I should wait for you to get home before I opened it."

"Good idea. Let me talk to mom."

"Okay, but why did you call?"

"I missed you."

Stiles smiled at the phone. He missed her too.

"Hello darling. We left a little something for you. When are you coming home?"

"I don't know. I have a lot to catch up on here; it may be later than I thought."

"Oh. Well, I suppose that's to be expected since you're going to be gone for a while."

"He told you?"

"Yes. Why do you sound so upset? Were you planning to keep it a secret?"

"No. Well, yes. It's not often your daughter is suspended and I didn't want to hear the lecture about how disappointed in me you are. I'm already embarrassed about everything." Terri sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it, you were right; it is my fault. If I hadn't gone out with Matt, none of this would have happened."

Helen turned to look at Stiles who was now having a spirited discussion with Liz about something. He was keeping something from her and she was going to get to the bottom of it.

"Terri I am not going to lecture you. Besides, as I told you earlier, I was upset when I said that. I love you and I know you feel badly about what's happened. At any rate, I'm sure it's not _entirely _your fault. There were so many things going on." Helen didn't know why Terri was suspended so she was fishing; she hoped Terri couldn't tell.

"Mom, I don't want to talk about it any more right now. I've messed up so many things the past year I'm amazed that my husband still wants anything to do with me. I've put him through so much and now this. Does he seem okay o you?"

Helen agreed and came close to voicing her thoughts, _'I can't believe he hasn't thrown you out either. If your father acted the way you have, I would have thrown him out and it wouldn't have taken a year.'_ What she said was much nicer.

"He seems fine are you worried?"

"He said he's okay with everything, but I don't know. Part of me thinks he's just saying that to protect my feelings."

"He loves you Terri."

"I know he does. Does Liz know about Matt?"

Helen moved farther away from Liz. She looked at the two other occupants of the room; both were smiling and Liz hadn't seemed upset earlier. No, whatever it was, she was sure Liz didn't know.

"Know what about him?"

Terri sighed, "She doesn't know. Look mom, I think it best that she tells you. If she doesn't know, Matt hasn't had a chance to talk to her. I know you wouldn't say anything on purpose, but I don't want to take a chance. She should hear it from him."

Helen couldn't take it anymore. "Theresa, what is going on? Why were you suspended? What did you do? I'm being left in the dark about something and I don't like it."

Terri reviewed what her mother said and it dawned on her, "Stiles didn't tell you about the suspension, did he?"

Helen could feel the well of information drying. She was getting very close to a lie. "Honey I just wanted to hear it from you. Did he leave something out because he thought I should hear it from you?"

Terri sighed. Stiles hadn't told her about their suspensions—she had. Now she was going to have to come clean, well as much as she could.

"Mom, why don't we talk later? I have a lot to do here. Will you put Stiles on the phone please?"

"You're right missy; we'll talk later and don't think you're going to get out of it."

Stiles got on the phone and walked away from his mother-in-law. "What was that all about? She looks like she's ready to bite someone's head off. You should have seen the look she just gave me."

"I screwed up once again. I told her I was suspended. She knew I was off and I just assumed... Then I asked if Liz knew about Matt. I should have known you wouldn't have said anything. Now she wants details."

Stiles chuckled a bit. "Don't worry about it. We'll come up with something to tell her. I would tell her something now if Liz weren't here. I'll take care of things here. Finish what you need to and get out of there. I'll have dinner waiting for you when you get home."

"Umm that sounds nice. I love you Mr. Stiles."

"I love you too Mrs. Stiles."

Stiles hung up the phone and turned around to find Helen and Liz staring at him.

"What?"

"My daughter has been suspended? Why? And what about you, you're off with her, are you in trouble too?"

"Yes she has and yes I am.

"For how long?"

"Three weeks"

Helen got in his face. "What---did—you—do?"

"I'm sorry Helen, I can't tell you. It's classified."

"Humph! Classified, I'm beginning to hate the CIA."

Stiles thought for a moment and decided he could tell her one thing since Liz already knew. "I'm the one who hit Matt..."

"Well you should have done that month's ago!" Helen was filled with righteous indignation. She didn't like Matt Callan and she would have hit him herself if it weren't so unladylike to do so. Then she remembered her friend.

"Liz, I'm sorry. I was just thinking about Terri and …oh, I'm just sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

"It's okay Helen; there were numerous times the past year when I thought about it myself."

Helen turned back to Stiles and he finished his sentence. "At the office." Then waited for the reaction.

"A.B. you hit him while you were at the office? In front of witnesses?"

"I'm afraid so, Helen."

"What does Terri have to do with this? I know they didn't suspend her for being your wife."

"No, actually, she's suspended for the same reason."

"My Terri, hit someone?"

"Actually, she put him in a choke hold and flipped him over her shoulder." Stiles was grinning from ear-to-ear remembering Matt hit the floor—until he looked at Liz."

"Liz…"

"It's okay. I'm surprised it took you this long."

"You got suspended three weeks for that?"

"Actually, I got one week for that. The other two are for something else and that is classified. Terri is suspended for a week; the rest is vacation for her."

Helen shook her head in disbelief. "Alright then, it looks like we're finished here. I don't think a party is a good idea under the circumstances. Have Terri call me when she gets home."

Stiles nodded that he would pass on her message though he wasn't so sure Terri would be up for the ensuing conversation. Besides the suspension, she and Helen had some other things to work through.

Liz gave Stiles a hug. "I need to have a long talk with my son. Other than your suspension, things are okay?"

Stiles hugged her back. She was a little surprised when he held on. He knew that she was in for a shock. "Yes, we're okay. Thanks for caring so much.I seem to be saying that a lot lately."

Liz patted his cheek as he let her go. "You're welcome. I meant what I said; I consider you and Terri part of the family."

Stiles, Helen and Liz said their goodbyes and Stiles walked around his house admiring the decorations. After nibbling on a few of the snacks the moms left behind, he headed for the unopened present on his coffee table. Surely Terri would forgive him…


	86. Fallout Part 7: Carl

**Title: The More Things Change **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1 **

**Part 86: Fallout Part 7—Carl**

Matt inspected the short stack of boxes next to his door and shook his head as he turned out the lights; he was still in shock that he wouldn't be back.

The guards stood patiently in the hallway and waited for Matt to emerge. When he did, he glanced in their direction and acted as if he didn't see them. Straightening his jacket, he stepped on the elevator and sent the car to the Office of Technical Services. The smaller of the two guards reached around him and pressed another button. Matt looked up at him when he saw that the large "G3" button was illuminated.

"Mr. Reese's directions were clear—you have to turn in your badge and proceed to your car."

He saw the smirk on the guard's face and wanted to knock it off. Matt tried unsuccessfully to keep his mouth closed. "I am the Liaison to Homeland Security.I have access to this entire portion of the complex."

_Were the Liaison; used to have access, pal_. "As I was saying, Mr. Reese made it clear that the rest of the building, including OTS, is for authorized personnel only."

Matt rolled his eyes but didn't protest. Carl (and everyone else) obviously had it in for him. He didn't want to take a chance on saying anything else; he didn't want to end up exiled to Iraq or worse, fired.

The three men walked in silence to the garage. When Matt got to his car, he climbed in and took a deep breath. He needed to talk to Terri. As soon as he shut his door, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed her number. They could stop him from visiting OTS, but they could not stop him from calling.

Matt jumped when he heard the banging then looked out the window to see his least favorite security personnel.

"You have to leave the premises sir--now."

Matt rolled his eyes again, threw his phone on the seat, and left rubber on the floor as he pealed out of his space. He let down his window as he passed the guards, "Fine! Just tell Mr. Reese that he'll regret letting me go. I'm the best they had and they know it!"

* * *

Terri slid into Joshua's office. 

"I know you have a meeting so I thought I'd come say goodbye before I head up to see Carl."

"It's not so bad, you know, having some time off. I think that after the year you and Mr. Stiles have had, it will be good for you."

"Maybe. We've talked a lot the past two days. Terri held up her hand so Joshua could see her wedding rings. "He gave me these this morning, so I know he's still committed, but…"

"You're worried that three weeks alone with him will change that."

Terri nodded. "Joshua, he has every right to hate me." Stiles seemed okay, but she didn't feel secure about their relationship.

"Terri, I had my reservations about him when he joined us. I didn't think I would like him very much and I was a little concerned for you when you…" He hesitated.

"Nice?"

He smiled. "That was a bit, shall we say, rash?"

Terri returned his smile. "The point Joshua?"

"I saw him slowly fall in love with you. As arrogant and as cocky as he can be with his job, he is just as concerned and caring when it comes to you. He and I had several conversations during your amnesia and he assured me that he wouldn't abandon you. He told me that if your marriage ended it would be because that is what you wanted. I don't think I've seen a man so much in love."

"I know he loves me, but I also know that deep down he's hurt. It's bound to come up again."

"I'm sure it will. Just make sure he knows you aren't going anywhere."

Terri gave Joshua a hug and opened the door. "Thank you Joshua. I'll see you in a few weeks."

* * *

"Come in Terri." 

Terri walked in slowly. She was a little upset with Carl for suspending her.

"Stiles said you need to talk to me."

"About your suspension. It's one week, not three."

"One week?"

"Yes, but I don't expect to see you for three. I think you and Stiles need the time."

Terri just looked at him. Just one week.

"Is that all?"

"No. I know the past year has been rough for you."

"That's an understatement."

"You're right, it is. The past year has probably been horrible for both of you. I asked you to come down to tell you this: I'm impressed with the way you've handled your job under such difficult circumstances."

"Thank you."

"Stiles filled me in on some of the things he's dealt with since your accident last year as well as the situation with Matt _and _you. Part of the condition for your return to work is that the two of you begin seeing one of our counselors."

"You're sending me to a marriage counselor now too? Anything else you want to spring on me?"

"Terri, I should have sent you months ago. If you had gotten professional help, things may not have come to what they did the other day. To be honest, I'm surprised it took Stiles that long to lose it; I can't believe he didn't knock Matt unconscious when he saw him at your house that day. I know counseling may not have helped you recover your memory faster, but I'm sure it would have helped with some other issues."

"Okay" was all she added. She wasn't interested, but it was a small price to pay.

"Good, your first appointment is tomorrow morning."

Terri looked up at him and opened her mouth to protest, but thought better of it. "Carl, can I tell you something?"

"Of course."

"I didn't want to say too much before; I felt so bad about the way I treated Stiles. I was going back to Stiles anyway, memory or not. That's what I told Matt the night before Stiles came home--the night before the 'towel' incident." Carl noticed the smile that crept onto Terri's face. "What can I say, Stiles really grows on you after a while."

"Sort of like a fungus."Carl added as they both laughed.

"I will tell you what I told Stiles."

"Wait, Stiles already knows about this?"

"I told him this morning."

It finally dawned on Terri why Stiles wouldn't tell her what Carl wanted.

"I let this job destroy my marriage and I don't want to see that happen to the two of you. I gave Stiles the counselor's number. She will keep me informed as towhen you've met your obligation with her. Of course, everything you discuss with her will be confidential."

"Carl, I know you're right, I'm just not a fan of counselors since my first marriage ended. Our counselor convinced me to give Jeff another chance. A month later, I walked in on him and some bimbo." Terri took a deep breath and paused for a moment, "But, I know Stiles is not Jeff and I will do anything to make sure this marriage lasts. Stiles said he's okay, but I'm not sure."

"That's what Debbie can help you with. You have something special; I don't know how many marriages would have survived the last year."

"I'm still amazed at what's happened."

"So am I! Terri, I just want you to know how much I value your work and how much I value you as a person. The same goes for Stiles."

"Thank you Carl. As you know, I was very concerned that Stiles would lose his job."

"I know and the thought crossed my mind—briefly. I think we came up with a fair solution. I hope you and Stiles understand that."

"We do."

Carl stood up, letting Terri know the meeting was over. Terri met him at the door and gave him a hug--startling him.

"Thank you again."


	87. Fallout Part 8: Matt and Terri

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1 **

**Part 87: Fallout Part 8—Matt and Terri**

Terri slowly walked back to her office. Though she felt better about things after talking with Carl, she still had mixed feelings about everything—including being alone with her husband for three weeks after what she'd done to him.

Terri said goodbye to Lex and picked up her things. Just as she put her purse on her shoulder, her phone rang. Lex offered to answer, but thinking it may be Stiles, Terri put down her purse and took it herself.

"Hello"

"Terri, I know you're a little upset with me, but please don't hang up; this will only take a minute."

"You're not worth that much of my time." Terri slammed down the phone and sighed wondering when Matt would be on that plane to Germany and out of her life.

"What was that about?"

"Just another reminder that I need to get out of here and go home to my husband ." Terri smiled, "and a home-cooked meal."

"Sounds good, can I come over?"

Terri shook her head and smiled at Lex. "I'll see you in a few weeks."

Terri briefly considered looking for Bailey but decided against it. She wanted to give her time to process everything that happened with Matt before she talked to her again.

Terri did a lot of processing herself as she walked to her car. She was deep in thought when she heard her name.

"Terri!"

Terri turned around to see Matt getting out of his car.

"Matt?"

He smiled, happy with himself about something. "Yeah, you don't know what it took to keep the guards from finding me. They must have gone in when they saw me go down the ramp. I circled around and came back up here. We need to talk."

"I already told you that I have nothing to say to you. Now go away before I have someone take you away."

Matt grabbed Terri's arm as she opened her car door. "Terri, please give me a minute and then you never have to see me again."

Terri smiled at the thought of not seeing him again. Listening to him for the short time she would allow him to speak would be worth never hearing from him again. She snatched her arm away from him and sat in her car, one hand on the door.

"What?"

"I'm sorry. I wanted things to be different between us. I really do care about you. Terri we belong together."

Terri spent several seconds staring at him dumbfounded; he had more nerve than anyone she knew.

"Matt, I told you the night I broke up with you that there was no longer any chance for us to be friends. I left that option open and you insulted my husband, tried to have him fired and then had the audacity to blame him for your problems. I know you didn't volunteer to leave; I'm glad Carl shipped you off to Germany.I don't even want to look at you anymore; I certainly don't want to spend any time with you!"

Terri slammed her door then quickly reopened it and got out; she had a few more things to get off her chest.

"Matt, you took advantage of my amnesia. How can you say you care about me? You knew I chose to stay with Stiles when you came back three years ago. You knew we were married and yet you still did your best to keep me away from him!

By the time we were at your parents' anniversary party it was obvious to everyone else that I was falling in love with Stiles again. If you care about me, you would want me to be happy even if it's with someone else. Instead, you took me to your parents' suite and tried to get me in bed!

You hate Stiles so much that you rubbed his nose in our relationship every chance you got. Then you sent him on a dangerous, covert mission after you let him think I was leaving him for you! There's no excuse for that. You risked his life and national security, not because you care about me, but because you hate him."

"Terri look, I am sorry you were hurt, but no one else matters, especially not…"

Terri got back in her car. She knew arguing with him about Stiles was a lost cause. She knew arguing with him period was a lost cause, though she had one more thing to say before she closed the "Matt" chapter of her life.

"No one else matters? Do you have any idea what you've done to Bailey? She loves you; she has defended you to everyone who will listen. What about your parents Matt, do they matter? Your mother will be devastated when she finds out what happened. Your father put his neck on the line approving your position. How embarrassed do you think he'll be? How do you think it will look when everyone finds out the Callans' son has been demoted? Apparently, everyone was right; Eric was a better man than you will ever hope to be! You're pathetic and I am thrilled that you will no longer be anywhere near me."

Terri slammed her car door the second time while Matt stood by speechless. She backed out and lowered the window as she passed him. "I'm going home to my _amazing _husband."

It felt good to get those things off her chest; she was finally resolved when it came to Matt. He wasn't the person she thought he was. He wasn't the man that she had been so fond of when she began working at the Agency. He was completely out of her system and she was ready to let him go. She just hoped Stiles was ready to do the same.

* * *

Terri took a deep breath as she turned her key in the door. 

"Stiles, I'm home."

Stiles ran down the stairs, gave his wife a bear hug.

Terri smiled and looked down at him. "Hey, what was that for?"

Stiles put Terri down and kissed her. "You're home and I get you all to myself for three weeks."

Terri looked at her husband and asked a serious question. "Are you really happy about that?"

"Terri, I told you, I love you and it's just us now."

"He was waiting for me when I left. He actually thought we could be friends again. I slammed the door in his face—after I told him off!"

Stiles knew exactly who "he" was and he didn't want Matt anywhere near Terri; he couldn't believe Matt still had that much nerve. "What was he even doing there? I thought he was gone to Germany."

"Carl had security escort him out, but he ditched them in the garage. Honey, he's on his way to Germany now and I just wanted to tell you that I am ecstatic that he's gone." Terri gave Stiles a hug and kissed him. "I am madly in love with my husband and like you said, it's just us now."

Stiles nodded. _He's finally out of our hair and I'd really like the jerk out of our marriage._

Terri took a deep breath, sat down, and changed the subject. "Why didn't you tell me that Carl is sending us to counseling—tomorrow morning?"

"I know how you feel about therapists. I thought it best that Carl explain it to you. I don't like the idea of airing our dirty laundry to some stranger either, but if that's what I have to do to keep my job, I'll do it. What did you tell him?"

"I said the same thing. I know he's just worried about us."

"I've been sitting here all day wondering what you would say about your meeting. I was hoping you didn't argue too much."

Terri smiled. "Yeah well, I almost did, but I caught myself."

"Good. Now, let's not talk about anything concerning Langley, VA the rest of this evening Mrs. Stiles; dinner is waiting."

Terri smiled and gladly allowed Stiles to lead her into the dining room. They avoided any mention of work, Matt and counseling and instead plotted what they would do with themselves for three weeks. Terri mentioned several projects around the house, including her studio.

"Annie called earlier. I told her we're on vacation for a couple of weeks."

"Vacation, huh? You didn't tell her we're suspended?"

"Not at first, but she knows me too well to believe I'd take that long a vacation. Anyway, she invited us up for a couple of days. She said Zach's growing like a weed."

"Oh, I'd love to see him."

"Me too." Stiles took Terri's hand and leaned close to her. "Then again, we could go to Andros for a few days."

"That sounds like a fantastic idea."

Stiles gave Terri a seductive look as he stood up and held out his hand. "Of course, my first and favorite choice is that we unplug the phone, close the curtains and lock ourselves in the bedroom for the next three weeks—no packing required."

Terri took Stiles' hand and stood up smiling. "Staying at home never sounded so good."

"With that in mind, I think we should make use of our latest anniversary present."

Terri squinted as she looked up at him. "You opened it, didn't you?"

Stiles smiled and gave her a long, passionate kiss; he didn't let her go until he felt her swoon, as her knees got weak.

"I was pretty sure you would forgive me."

Terri did indeed forgive him. She was impressed when she saw him in the boxer shorts and matching robe her mother and Liz gave him. She laughed when she saw the matching gown. Her mother really was serious about becoming a grandmother.


	88. Fallout Part 9: Forgiveness?

**Title: The More Things Change **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

_**A/N: Just 7 chapters left. Enjoy.**_

**Part 88: Fallout Part 9—Forgiveness?**

"Mr. and Mrs. Stiles, Dr. Arbor is ready for you."

"Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

* * *

Chance walked out of his office reading a file and ran right into Bailey. "Whoa. Honey, are you okay?"

"I'm okay. Are you?"

"Yeah, I"m okay, just a little distracted."

"I missed you last night."

Chance sighed, leaning against his office door. "I'm sorry about that. Everything with Matt, Stiles, Terri… there was so much paperwork. I really did think I'd be home, I was just…"

Bailey gave him a sad smile. "It's okay—this time. Did you get any sleep?"

"A little."

"Good, but don't even think about working this weekend." Bailey smiled. "The CIA had you the last two weekends and last night; this weekend is mine."

Chance smiled and sneaked a kiss. "You got it."

"I know you're busy, but can I talk to you a minute?"

Chance glanced at his watch. "Quick lunch?"

"Love to."

Bailey found a quiet area in the back of the cafeteria so she could have a private conversation with the deputy director of central intelligence.

"Mom called back; they cancelled the party because she and Liz were still there when Stiles got home. Then they found out that they're both suspended."

"It's probably just as well under the circumstances and yet, I'm sure that isn't why you want to talk to me right now."

"I've been thinking about what you said yesterday."

"Which thing would that be?"

"I was the lead analyst for the Iraq mission; I could have said something when Matt pushed up the mission. When you asked if Terri and Stiles are okay I want to believe that they are, but you're probably right, after everything that's happened, they'll be dealing with this for a while, especially Stiles. I feel somewhat responsible for the mess they've found themselves in; I should have tried harder to get Matt to back off or to help Terri see what Stiles means to her."

"Honey, as far as Matt's relationship with Terri, you did all you could. They're responsible for their own actions; you warned both of them. You talked to Stiles, you told him not to give up on her; you gave him a diary."

Bailey raised her eyebrows when Chance said diary. Chance rolled his eyes slightly and smiled. "I know, I know, it's a journal."

"Thank you."

"Anyway, I don't know that there was anything else to do. As far as Iraq, I know I let Stiles down. I had reservations, but I wanted to trust Matt's judgment. When I saw how upset he was before he left, I should have tried harder to make sure he saw Terri. Instead, I pulled rank and sent him away. Bay, my best friend was nearly killed because I wanted to trust my brother-in-law. If he had been anyone else, I would have pushed harder. Now Stiles is barely speaking to me. Lunch was brutal the other day."

"He'll come around."

"Maybe. I'm just glad things didn't turn out any worse than they did. Really, the time off will be good for them. Terri's only suspended for a week, but we thought they needed the time. Maybe when he gets back we can sit down and talk. Hey, on the bright side, Stiles has Terri at home with him; can you imagine him home alone for three weeks?"

Bailey and Chance laughed at the thought of Stiles trying to amuse himself. After a few moments of silence, Bailey's face brightened.

"I know that look, what are you cooking up or should I say what have you cooked up in that beautiful head of yours?"

"A cruise."

* * *

**_DR. ARBOR'S OFFICE _**

"…Is love enough?"

"What do you mean?"

"The two of you have been through a lot this year. Are you willing to let go of the past and work on your future? Terri?"

Terri nodded yes.

"A.B.?"

Stiles looked at Terri and took her hand before answering. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes."

Terri let out a sigh of relief. Even with everything that had happened the past few days, she was still apprehensive.

When Dr. Arbor asked Stiles to tell her how he felt about Terri's relationship with Matt he told her that he tolerated it, that he tried not to make too big a deal of it. "I was upset, but it's over."

Dr. Arbor was an experienced therapist; the downward cast of Stiles' eyes and his reluctance to elaborate told her that he was holding back so she asked Terri the same question, "How do you think he felt about your relationship with Mr. Callan?"

Terri glanced at Stiles, who was still staring at the floor.

"Like he said, he tolerated it for a long time; he didn't make too big a deal of it. It wasn't until I regained my memory that we really talked about it."

"Terri, you just told me what A.B. did. How do _you_ think he felt?"

Terri didn't want to answer that question. She didn't have to speculate, she knew how he felt: he hated that she was seeing another man, he worried that she was sleeping with him. He felt like an intruder in his own house when Matt was there.

After squeezing Stiles' hand tighter and glancing at him briefly, Terri gave her answer. "He didn't like it."

The doctor was right, Stiles was holding in his feelings and she and Terri were in the direct path of the avalanche as he let go.

Terri felt an all too familiar knot form in her stomach as Stiles first let go of her handthen stood up.

"I didn't like it? After all we've been through, all the arguments and discussions we've had this week, that's what you came away with, that 'I didn't like it?'"

Terrifelt tears forming as he walked away from her. She felt them stream down her cheeks when he began enumerating the diners alone, the sleepless nights, and the humiliating encounters with Matt.

"Terri, you read my journal; you know exactly how I felt." Stiles turned to Doctor Arbor to make his case. "I can't even remember how many nights I came home after working late on some garbage that he assigned only to find the two of them either making out or enjoying a home cooked meal while I ate alone in my room. She knows I couldn't sleep wondering if, when I got up in the morning, he would still be there."

Stiles finished talking and stood still, staring out the window at the fine mist that was slowly covering the cars in the parking lot. He shoved his hands in his pockets and shuffled from foot to foot as he waited for the inevitable fallout from his words.

Dr. Arbor didn't say anything. She watched Terri wipe the tears away then patiently waited for her reaction. Nearly five minutes passed before she could find her voice. Even when she did, she was barely audible.

"I'm sorry Stiles, I'm so sorry. I don't know what else to say. If I could take it all back, I would. I would take back every kiss, every dinner, every lonely, sleepless night you had, but I can't, I can't."

Stiles inhaled deeply as Terri choked out her last words. He hated hearing her cry. He wiped a tear from his own cheek then turned slowly to face her.

Terri took several short breaths and wiped her face before she spoke again. "Stiles, I love you. What do I have to do for you to forgive me, to make you forget?"

"Terri, I know how you feel, but that doesn't erase what happened. I'm not trying to make you feel bad, I'm just…you said I didn't like it, as if…" Stiles didn't know how to tell her. He didn't want to fight with her and he didn't want to be in this office, but he did need her to understand; he just didn't know how to make her. He took a deep breath and turned his back to Terri and Dr. Arbor. He didn't know what to say anymore.

"Never mind it doesn't matter."

Terri turned back to the doctor realizing how much work she had yet to do to win back her husband. "I thought we were past this. The last few days have been good. I just want to forget about everything and start over."

The doctor looked at her clock; their hour was almost over. "A.B. how you feel does matter. Please join us."

Stiles reluctantly sat back down next to Terri without looking at her.

"I am impressed with the strides both of you have made since Terri regained her memory; however, you both still have some things to let go of so you can strengthen your marriage. Terri you need to deal with your guilt. You can't start over as you say until you deal with A.B.'s feelings about your relationship with Mr. Callan or until you deal with your feelings about that relationship. You have to forgive yourself before you can expect him to forgive you."

Terri nodded in agreement. She hadn't forgiven herself and she wasn't sure that she could.

"A.B. It is obvious that you love Terri very much, but it is equally obvious that you're still hurt and you haven't forgiven her."

Stiles couldn't believe his ears.

"How can you say I haven't forgiven her? Of course I've forgiven her!"

Terri jumped at Stiles' outburst. She knew the doctor was right; he hadn't completely forgiven her; his reaction to her comment proved it and that was what Terri wanted most—his forgiveness.

"A.B., you have a homework assignment."

Stiles looked at her and rolled his eyes; this was supposed to be a quick session where he and Terri talked about a few things and went home with a release. Now he had homework.

"Do you still have your journal?"

"Yeah."

"Good, I want you to continue using it. I want you to write down what you feel about your marriage today. Compare that towhat you expected your marriage to be. Every time somethng reminds you of Terri's relationship with Mr. Callan write it down and write down your reaction. You feel like you've forgiven her, keeping track of your feelings will help you see if that is the case."

"Terri, I want you keep a journal too. Write down every time a feeling of guilt runs through your mind. It doesn't matter how fleeting, write it down and write down what triggered it."

Terri glanced at Stiles who was staring straight ahead with his arms folded across his chest, pouting. "Dr. do you think we have a chance?"

Stiles narrowed his eyes and looked up at Terri. He couldn't believe she still doubted him. When he saw how nervous she was, he calmed down--a little.Terri wanted things to work out, but was afraid they wouldn't be okay.

"I asked you earlier if love is enough to sustain your marriage. I think you both can see that a lot of hard work is involved; however, the bond the two of you seem to have is strong and that love is what has kept you together this long. If you're willing to work on a few things, then yes, I would say you have an excellent chance."

Without looking up, Stiles took Terri's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. They walked out holding hands after each agreed to see the doctor individually before they met as a couple again. Although they were still apprehensive, Dr. Arbor had a smile on her face as she dictated her notes.

"Based on my first meeting with Terri and A.B. Stiles…. they have an excellent prognosis."


	89. Fallout Part 10: Bon Voyage

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1 **

**Part 89:** **Fallout Part 10: Bon Voyage **

Terri and Stiles walked to their car and rode most of the way home in silence, lost in their thoughts. Neither knew what to say after their intense counseling session. Terri finally broke the silence when she saw a stationery store in the loop; she asked Stiles to stop so she could get a journal.

"Thank you for stopping."

"You're welcome."

The next time either spoke wasn't until they reached their street.

"Stiles, I…"

"Terri, I'm all talked out today."

"I'm sorry."

Stiles slammed his hands on the steering wheel and glared at Terri as he parked the car. "Stop saying you're sorry! Sorry doesn't change anything, okay? You made my life miserable the past year and that doesn't go away just because you say you're sorry!"

She didn't say anything, she didn't look at him, nothing. She just sat there with her mouth slightly open. Had he bothered to stick around, Stiles would have heard her inhale sharply as his words hit her like a fist in the stomach. But rather than acknowledging his outburst, he got out of the car and slammed the door, cursing himself as he walked away. He hadn't meant to scream at her; he just couldn't bear to talk anymore. Terri spent the next five minutes trying to breath through her sobs.

Ten minutes later, when Stiles emerged from the bedroom, Terrir was still standing just inside the door trying to recover from the sting of his words. Without looking at her, Stiles eased past Terri on his way out. "I'm going for a run."

* * *

"A cruise?" 

"Yes, for Terri and Stiles. They are going to be off so they have the time. They need to get away from everybody and everything."

"Why a cruise?"

"They can leave from New York, maybe even Baltimore. We could send them somewhere else, but it's like a honeymoon and the last time they did that they were in the plane crash; too many bad memories. It's too soon for a long commercial plane ride. Don't you think?"

"You're probably right."

"I can call…"

Chance looked up from his plate and interrupted her. "What did you mean by we could send them…?"

Bailey smiled mischievously. "Considering we have contributed to their problems, I think it's only fair that we contribute to their happiness."

Chance frowned as he thought about what she said. "You say contribute, but I'm hearing finance."

Bailey stood up and gave her husband a soft kiss. "'Umm, you taste good."

Chance caught her arm and looked up at her confused as she turned from the table without another word.

"What? I have to go book a trip for them. I want to let them know tonight so they can pack."

Chance just shook his head and reached for his wallet. "Here," he said as he offered his credit card. "Take good care of them."

Bailey kissed him again and was out of the room before Chance could put his wallet back in his pocket.

* * *

"Is Carl in his office?" 

"Yes, I'll tell him you're here."

Bailey smiled, "No, I think I better surprise him."

"What's going on Mrs. Chancellor?"

"I'm taking contributions."

"For what?"

"Stiles and Terri. We're giving them an anniversary present."

"Wonderful, I would like to help. They've been through a lot I hear."

"Thank you Mrs. Anaya, but don't worry about a financial contribution. I'm sure the boys have that covered, if you know what I mean. However, since you asked, do you think you could round up a card? Something nice from the internet will do. I want to give them the present tonight."

"Sure. May I ask what you're getting them?"

"Well, paper is one of the traditional gifts for a first anniversary so I thought we should give them tickets—for a Caribbean cruise!"

"Who's going on a cruise?" Carl asked as he entered the waiting area.

"That's just what I was coming to talk to you about. Do you have a minute?"

"I'm on my way to the conference room. Walk with me?"

"I'll take care of that other matter for you Mrs. Chancellor."

"Thank you!"

Carl looked back and forth between the two women, but neither of them said a word. Bailey didn't say anything to him until they were on the elevator.

"I need $500."

Carl frowned. "For what?"

"The cruise we're booking for Terri and Stiles. They need some time away and it's the least we can do for our contribution to the mess their marriage is in right now."

"They're both very well paid. If they want to go on vacation, I'm sure they can afford it."

"I'm sure they can, but we owe them—all of us."

Carl just looked at her and shook his head. She was as good a salesperson as she was analyst. "I'll write you a check. I'll leave it with Mrs. Anaya since it seems the two of you have something in the works already."

Bailey smiled sweetly, "Thank you Carl" and walked away.

Bailey swept through OTS and hit up Joshua for $100 and Lex for $50, then stopped by Jackson's office and asked him to give whatever he wished. The only people she had left were her parents and Terri's. After a couple of phone calls, the parents were also in. Her last stop was Mrs. Anaya. To Bailey's surprise, not only did Mrs. Anaya have a very nice card put together, she also had $100 for Bailey. She explained that when she found out what Carl was giving, she decided to throw in a little even though Bailey said it was not necessary. "Have a bottle of wine delivered to their room."

Within only a couple of hours she had enough money to book a suite for her friends and have a bottle of wine and flowers waiting for them on their first night. Bailey was quite pleased with herself. She was also preparing to spend Saturday in the office; she had done nothing but run from office to office all day.


	90. Fallout Part 11: Loose Ends

Disclaimer: See Part 1

**Chapter 90**

**Fallout Part 11: ****Loose ends **

"You are leaving this place tonight, right?"

Chance looked up to see Bailey standing in his doorway with her purse and briefcase. "Where are you going? It's barely 5:00."

"I know; I'm coming in tomorrow. I have to stop by Matt's and tell him he's donating $1000 to the Terri and A.B. Stiles cruise fund."

"Bailey, do you think that's a good idea? Don't get me wrong, I think he should pay, but I don't know what frame of mind he'll be in after yesterday. Have you even talked to him since he left the office?"

"No I haven't. But I do know that he's angry and hurt." Bailey smiled. "It's the perfect time to extort money from him."

Chance shook his head as he looked at her. "Okay, I'll see you later."

"Not so fast. I want you out of here no later than 8:00."

"Bailey, I promise that I'll be home, but I can't promise it will be that soon."

"It has to be. Unless world war III breaks out, the place won't fall apart without you. I'm taking the cruise information to Terri and Stiles tonight and I want you there. I already told them we're coming."

Chance looked down at all of the paperwork on his desk and frowned. "Well you shouldn't have. You know I can't just pack up and leave."

Bailey walked into her husband's office and leaned over his desk. "Yes, you can. I know you're busy, but you can't use that as an excuse; you and Stiles need to talk. The longer you wait the harder it will be."

Chance knew she was right and after one more round of denying that he could get away and one more contradiction from Bailey he reluctantly agreed to meet her at the Stiles' later that evening.

Bailey kissed her adorable husband, reminding him of another reason to come home early. "Good. Now, I'm off to Matt's. Call me when you leave and I'll meet you."

* * *

"…You should have seen the look on Dad's face. He's already seen the file. Carl sanitized it for him, leaving out the gory details, but he got enough. He was so proud of me when I got the Liaison position. That's the first time in a long time. When I opened the door this morning, he stood there looking like he'd been stabbed in the heart. He called me his biggest disappointment. Mom's so mad about everything that she wouldn't even get out of the car."

"Bailey, what have I done? When everything happened with Quinn, I promised mom and dad that I wouldn't take any more long-term overseas assignments. Now, I've lost my job, I'm on my way to Germany for who knows how long, I lost my girlfriend and my parents can't stand to look at me. After Eric, how could I let this happen? I had to explain to dad why Terri's husband finally tried to take my head off."

Bailey sighed. "I'm sure mom already told him about that. Stiles told her about it when they had lunch the other day."

"I should have known. Now I know why she was already mad then she heard about everything else."

Matt sat down and buried his face in his hands. Until his father chewed him out, he was holding on to the idea that he had done nothing wrong, that it was all Stiles, Carl and Chance. They overreacted; they had it in for him. After talking with his father, or rather listening to his father, the fog began to clear.

"Dad was right; I am a disappointment. How could I have been so incredibly stupid? I was dating a married woman! I still can't stand Stiles, but…I knew we weren't ready for Iraq and I sent him anyway. It would have been my fault if they killed him. I just wanted to prove that I was as good as Eric was. He would have handled everything perfectly. Terri's right, I'm not half the man he was. I never will be."

Bailey felt for her brother. He spent most of his life in their older brother's shadow. He was slightly shorter than Eric was, slightly less handsome, slightly less successful in his career and much less successful with women. This job had been Matt's chance to make a name for himself—a chance to win his father's approval and he had blown it. He knew it and she knew it.

Bailey did the only thing she could, she gave him a hug and tried to encourage him, "I love you and so do mom and dad. What happened won't change that. Hey, maybe you'll meet the woman of your dreams in Berlin."

"Thank you for trying to make me feel better. I don't deserve you either. I know I've put you in a difficult position."

"You're right, you don't deserve me." Bailey paused then smiled. "And you know I like diamonds…and pearls…"

Matt gave her a wary smile then continued bemoaning his fate. "I've thrown my career away over a woman who now hates me. I tried to talk to her before I left. She called me pathetic and you know what? She's right. I chased her knowing she was married then deluded myself into thinking she would leave him for me. Instead, she fell in love with him again _and_ regained her memory."

"True. Sad for you and good for her."

"Bay, believe it or not, I do want her to be happy."

Bailey smiled as Matt gave her the perfect segue. "I know of a way you can relieve some of your guilt about Terri."

Matt looked at her skeptically.

"How?"

"Write me a check for $1000."

"What?"

"For an anniversary gift."

"What ever happened to a gift certificate? Why so much?"

"We're sending them on a cruise. Even with the discount I found, it still cost over $3000 for a nice room. Chance and I are contributing as is Carl...and a few others."

"Which others?"

"That isn't important."

"You mean you aren't going to tell me."

"Right. So how 'bout it?"

"How much is Carl giving?"

"That's personal."

"How much Bailey?"

She sighed then relented. "$500, but that's all I asked for. We all owe them more and I know you can afford it."

"Fine." Matt rolled his eyes, but wrote her a check without further protest. She could still get just about anything she wanted from him.

Bailey kissed his cheek. "You're doing the right thing."

"Yeah?"

Bailey nodded. "I better go; Chance is meeting me at Terri and Stiles'. I'll be here early Monday to drive you to the airport."

"Bay one more thing. What happened to Stiles, I mean for hitting me and giving up his identity on the mission?" Matt only wanted to hear one thing, that Stiles was demoted or sent back to the military. If Stiles was gone, his own exile wouldn't seem so bad.

Bailey hoped that he already knew; she didn't want to be the one to tell him. "He and Terri were suspended."

Matt frowned. "Suspended? For how long?"

"Three weeks, well three weeks for Stiles and one week for Terri."

"That's it? I've been shipped off to Germany and he gets three weeks? That's…."

"Matt, what happened to you has nothing to do with what happened to him. I know you already feel bad, so don't make me go through all the reasons Carl did what he did with you."

Matt was sick of thinking about Stiles so he changed the subject. "Fine. Why did they suspend Terri?"

"She hit you."

Matt unconsciously rubbed his arm where Terri had jerked him to the ground. "So she did. Only a week?"

"Yeah, but Carl told her to take the two weeks with Stiles. They need to work on their marriage."

Matt looked at the floor. "Yeah and I guess that's all my fault too." After a few moments thinking about Bailey's news he looked up at her. D**o** you think she'll be ok?"

"They love each other and she wouldn't take you back even if they didn't so don't you even think that way."

"I know. Believe me she made that very clear. I just hope that one day she'll be able to forgive me."

"She will. Now Stiles, on the other hand…"

Matt didn't care if Stiles forgave him. He needed to ask about Terri, but he didn't really want to get into a discussion about Terri and Stiles' marriage.

"Thanks for stopping by, I better get back to packing. You want to come back and help?"

Bailey smiled. "I want to go see Terri then I'm going to spend some much-needed time alone with my husband. But, I will stop by tomorrow after work."

Matt gave his little sister a kiss and hug. He was going to miss seeing her every day.

Bailey sat in her car for a moment, looking back at Matt's townhouse. She knew he was feeling sad and a little lonely. Terri was definitely gone and soon she and their parents would be thousands of miles away. He would heal in time. Getting out of town may be just what he needed.


	91. Fallout Part 12: Parents and an old fri...

**Title: The More Things Change **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 91**

**Fallout Part 12: Old Friends **

_"Cause its all in my head  
I think about it over and over again  
And I can't keep picturing you with him" _

Stiles turned down the radio and stared out the window. He couldn't stop thinking about Terri dating Matt, about her kissing him, him touching her. The images were stuck in his head. Every time he closed his eyes they were there, sitting on the couch, hugging, kissing, touching. He thought he was over it until the therapy session, but obviously, he wasn't.

"_And it hurts so bad,  
__Cause its on in my head  
I think about it over and over again  
I replay it over and over again  
And I can't take it, I can't shake it"_

Stiles stuck the pen back in his pocket and returned his new journalto its bag. Writing wasn't helping this time. The images were already stuck in his head; writing about them was making things worse.

**

* * *

**

Terri was pacing the first floor when the doorbell rang. "Hey Bay. What are you doing here?"

Bailey didn't like the look on Terri's face. "I'm sorry, is this a bad time? I left you a message earlier; Chance and I have a present for you guys."

"I haven't listened to any messages today. It's okay though, please come in."

"What's wrong?"

Terri would have begun crying but she didn't have any tears left. "My husband is MIA."

"What?"

"Carl made marriage counseling a condition of our return to work. We had our first appointment this morning."

"I take it things didn't go well?"

"Not at all." Terri sat down and gave Bailey the whole sad story. "I thought we were doing well, a few kinks to work out, but okay. He's still upset Bailey, really upset. Things were so intense when we left the doctor's office that we didn't speak on the way home. I sat in the car the whole time thinking about what he said in the session, how he felt. Even after everything we've talked about the past couple of days, I had no idea ust how bad it was for him.I couldn't take the silence anymore so Itold him"I'm sorry."Bay, I just wanted to make things better, but when I apologized he told me to stop because, "Sorry doesn't change anything." Terri imitated Stiles as she repeated the words he threw out at her hours earlier. She wiped the stray tear from her eye and tried to look at Bailey. "He told me I made his life miserable and slammed the door shut."

Bailey didn't know what to say. Suddenly the tickets in her bag didn't seem like such a good idea.

"It stung so bad to hear him him say that, I couldn't get out of the car. I couldn't even move for several minutes. By the time I got in the house he was changed and on his way out to run."

Bailey patted Terri's hand. "Oh honey, I'm sure he was justblowing off steam;he'll be back. How long ago did he leave?"

"Hours ago and he didn't go for a run unless you count running to his car 'a run'."

Bailey hugged Terri and tried to find some positive in the situation. She hadn't come up with much by the time they were interrupted by the doorbell twenty minutes later.

**

* * *

**

"What are you doing here? I thought you would be relaxing at home."

Stiles looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry, if this is a bad time…"

Liz took his arm and pulled him into the house. "No, of course not, come in."

"I won't stay long; I just wanted to know how you and Carson are. I mean…" Stiles didn't know what to say. He wanted to talk about Matt and then realized they may not know.

"After finding out that our son was demoted and shipped off to Europe?" Carson walked in rescuing Stiles.

Stiles looked up dumbly and just nodded.

"We're angry."

"…And shocked and disappointed," Liz added as her eyes began to water.

"I'm sorry you've been caught up in all this mess. You two have been surrogate parents to me, especially you Liz. I'm sorry the two of you and Bailey have been hurt by my part in what's happened."

"Honey, why are you apologizing? None of this is your fault. You put up with more than many men would have; I told you before that I don't know how you made it. Terri is very lucky to have you."

Stiles thought to himself how right Liz was. Terri was very lucky to have him. No one else would have been the forgiving sap he'd been.

"I had a long talk with Matt this morning. He has a lot of soul-searching to do. I don't know what happened to him. _I'm_ sorry that you and Terri have been hurt. If he'd been using his head, everyone could have been spared a lot of headaches.

Liz and I saw the briefs this morning; we know what happened in Iraq, well, at least how Matt managed to make a mess of things. We also know that if you were a less experienced agent you may not have made it home."

"Endangering an agent is unforgivable. After what happened with his brother he…" Liz stopped talking because he could feel the burn of the tears that she had kept at bay all morning. It had been almost five years since her elder son died and it still hurt. Finding out her middle child would endanger the life of a fellow agent hurt almost as much as it made her angry.

Carson put his arm around her shoulder and completed the thought he knew his wife wanted to make. "You're right, A.B., we think of you as our son. You're a lot like Eric. I know that's one of the reasons Bailey feels so connected to you; she and Eric were very close. I think you and Eric would have been good friends."

"Thank you; that means a lot."

Liz wiped her eyes and hugged her "son." "It may take a little while, but we'll all heal."

Stiles pulled away and mumbled, "Yeah," as he thought about Terri. He wasn't surprised that Liz seemed to know what he was thinking.

"A.B. what's important is you and Terri. I'm sure she's feeling a little guilty right now. I know it will be hard, but you need to forgive her—soon."

Stiles looked down at his feet briefly then back up at Liz. "Yeah, I don't know what I came home to Liz. I thought I was okay until we saw the counselor this morning. Liz, I yelled at her in session, then later, when she tried to apologize to me and Iscreamed at her to stop. I don't think I've ever yelled at her. like that.Here I thought I was being this long-suffering, forgiving husband, but I'm not. I'm angry. My wife was dating someone else and not just anyone else, but my boss who hates me."

"He doesn't hate you, he's jealous. But you need to forget abut Matt. You love her." Carson didn't ask him, he made a statement.

Stiles shook his head "Yes"

"And she loves you."

Stiles closed his eyes briefly, as the images began playing in his mind again.

"But there's more to it than that."

_"Cause its all in my head  
I think about it over and over again  
__I replay it over and over again  
And I can't shake it" _

"Your feelings were hurt and you want her to suffer a little; is that it?"

Stiles gave Liz a slight nod. He felt like crawling under the table. That was exactly it; he wanted her to suffer, but he felt like a heel when he heard Liz say it aloud. It sounded petty and spiteful to want her to suffer just because he had.

"You've made it through the hard part. Don't give up now; you two belong together. Don't wake up one day and regret not giving your marriage every chance you can."

"You sound just like my father; he said almost the exact same thing when I talked to him earlier."

Liz smiled. "He should know. From what he tells me, letting your mother go is his biggest regret."

"Yeah, he said that too."

Liz hugged Stiles again. "Matt can't hurt you anymore. If you lose Terri now, it will be because _you_ let her go."

Stiles nodded knowingly at Liz; he didn't have the heart to tell her that she was wrong; if his marriage was in trouble, it was not his fault. He'd done everything he could to keep it together; now it was her turn.

_Over and Over, performed by Nelly and Tim McGraw. From Nelly's 2004 album Suit. _


	92. Fallout Part 13: Happy Anniversary?

**Author: Michelle  
****Disclaimer: See Part 1 **

**Part 92  
****Fallout Part 13: Happy Anniversary? **

Bailey opened the door to find her husband standing on the porch with a bottle of wine.

"Wine?"

Chance smiled just enough to let Bailey know he was a little embarrassed. "Yeah, well, it is an anniversary thing." Bailey kissed Chance on his cheek and hugged him. When she let go, he took a close look at her then at Terri who was walking toward him from the den.

"Hey, what's going on, neither of you looks too happy."

"Stiles left hereseveral hours ago pretty upset and Terri doesn't know where he is."

Chance sighed. He didn't see the big deal and he was afraid the "girls" were overanalyzing the situation--again. "Does he usually tell you everywhere he's going?"

"Chance!"

"What?"

"He said he was going jogging but Terri saw him get in his car."

"Did he take clothes with him?'

Terri shook her head. "No"

"So he's coming back."

Bailey shot her husband the nastiest look she could and walked Terri out of the room. "Stay here."

"Bailey, it's okay. I know Chance blames me too."

"That doesn't mean he has to be nasty to you in your own house. I'll be right back."

"Bay..." The swush of the door caught the rest of Terri's words.

Chance sat on the couch and grumbled as Bailey and Terri left. He'd pulled out his cell phone before the kitchen door stopped swinging.

"What do you want Chancellor? I'm off duty. You suspended me, remember?"

Chance held his tongue despite a strong desire to do otherwise. "I'm at your house. Your wife is worried about you."

When Bailey realized who Chance called, she went back to Terri.

"Why are you at my house?"

"Making a delivery; Bailey said she talked to you."

"No, she must have talked to Terri."

"Whatever, we're here and you're not."

"Calm down. I'm on my way back." Stiles finished his statement and hung up before Chance could acknowledge him.

* * *

"Terri, give him time." 

"Time to realize he wants out?"

"I know you're upset, but…" 'I think you're overreacting' is what she wanted to say. "If he was going to leave, he would have by now. He'll be back."

"Bailey, you didn't see the look on his face. He hates me. He looks at me and sees his cheating wife and there's nothing I can do to change that."

"You can let him deal with it however he needs to deal with it." Both women looked up to see Chance standing in the doorway. Terri didn't like the tone in Chance's voice.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You were making out with another man on his couch Terri! How do you think he feels? If he needs to drive around for a while and think, so what?"

"Chance, stop it."

Chance ignored Bailey and finished his lecture. "Come on Terri, you really think that just because you dump Matt Stiles is going to forget what happened…," Chance snapped his fingers. "…like that?"

Terri stared at her hands, defeated. "No, I don't. I just want another chance to have a marriage."

Chance was about to respond when they heard the door slam.

Bailey shoved him toward the doorway. "Sounds like he's back; go talk to him, and be nice."

Chance walked out slowly, mumbling. Talking to Stiles when he was already mad was the last thing Chance wanted to do, but the tension in the room was getting thick and he was already beginning to regret what he had said to Terri.

"Where's Terri?"

"In the kitchen with Bailey."

The two men stared at each other uncomfortably for several minutes.

"What's going on man? I thought you guys were better."

"I'm not talking to you about my marriage. If you cared so much, you wouldn't have put me on that plane."

Chance sighed, _here we go_. "I already told you I'm sorry about that. What else do you want? I know I made some bad choices, but don't confuse me with Matt."

"Why didn't you stop me?"

"Stiles, I screwed up, okay? There's no other way to say it. I was under a lot of pressure and instead of dealing with it, I took your word that you were ready to go. I knew better in the back of my mind, but I took the easy out and let you put your life in danger. If it makes you feel any better, after you were captured, I stayed up nights trying to convince myself I did the right thing."

"No, it doesn't. You should have been up nights after what you did."

Chance sighed again. "Okay how 'bout this, I now have an official reprimand in my file for listening to my incompetent brother-in-law and letting you go in there the way you did."

"Good." Stiles paused for a moment then said what he'd been dying to say to Chance for several weeks. "Chance, after all those years in the Marines, after everything we've been through together, I thought you were the one person I could count on to have my back."

"Stiles, I am truly sorry —about everything. I wish I'd done several things differently the past few months where you and Matt are concerned." Chance sighed then paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "Look,we've been friends for a long time and I don't want that to end. I just hope one day you can forgive me for being an idiot."

Stiles managed a half smile when Chance called himself and idiot. "Well at least you got that right; you were an idiot."

Chance agreed and laughed. Stiles laughed and Chance gave him a hug. That was it, unspoken forgiveness.

"Are you going to let her off the hook anytime soon?" Chance asked, glancing toward the kitchen.

"What you did was stupid, what she did was…"

"Unforgivable?"

"Yes, no. Argh!" Stiles rubbed his head. "I don't know. Chance I yelled at her this morning, screamed. I've never raised my voice to her about anything. By the time we got home from counseling, I couldn't even look at her."

"Going to see the counselor was supposed to be a good thing. What happened?"

"I don't know. The doctor asked Terri how she thought I felt about her relationship with Callan. She looks at the doctor and says, 'he didn't like it.' I couldn't believe after all she put me through 'he didn't like it.' was all she could come up with."

"And let me guess, you told her how you really feel?"

Stiles smirked. "You got that right. We're finally almost home and she gives me this feeble, 'I'm sorry.' I lost it. I'm sitting in a rat-infested cell trying to keep from getting my head blown off and all I can think about is Callan with his hands all over her. I get home and he's the first person I see. Then she threatens to leave ME! I told her "I'm sorry" just doesn't cut it."

Chance listened intently and hoped his reply didn't send Stiles over the edge. "Stiles, I hate to point this out, but she broke up with him before she regained her memory, he's been shipped out of town and she told you she loves you. You gotta let it go."

Stiles glared at his friend for several moments trying to decide if he should say anything. When he did, he got in Chance's face and gave him an earful.

"Let it go? I can't believe you, you're on her side; you're all on her side. I close my eyes and it's there, the two of them on my couch. She's there kissing some other guy and you're all on her side."

Chance sighed and grabbed Stiles' arm as he tried to leave the room. "I'm not on her side. I just don't want you to throw it all away. You put up with too much for too long to end it now. You once told me that you considered her amnesia an illness. In sickness and in health, remember?"

Stiles nodded almost imperceptibly. He did remember, but he didn't really want Chance reminding him of that now.

"I won't pretend to know what you're going through, but I know you two have a special relationship." Chance smiled and patted Stiles on the back. "You can't function without her my friend. You have to make a decision; do you want to be angry or do you want to be married. My bet is on married. You gotta do whatever you need to do to forgive her or you really will lose her."

"I'm not going anywhere as long as he wants me."

Stiles looked up to see Terri leaning against the doorframe and wondered if that was true, hoping it was true.

Stiles and Teri continued staring at each other as Chance looked over Terri's head at Bailey and gestured that they should go. Bailey shook her head vehemently at Chance; they hadn't given them their present.

Chance spoke up anyway. "Uh, I think we're gonna head out."

Stiles blinked, briefly turning his attention away from Terri. "Wasn't there some reason you stopped by?"

Bailey walked in slowly. "Well, yes, but I'm not so sure it's really appropriate now."

Terri remembered that Bailey mentioned a present. "Oh no you don't. You said you have a present for us."

Bailey looked at Chance for help; he only looked back and shrugged his shoulders, so Bailey pulled the tickets out of her bag then tentatively held them out to Terri. "Happy anniversary."


	93. Fallout Part 14: The Old Guy's Ego

**Title: The More Things Change**

**Disclaimer: See Part 1**

**Part 93**

**Fallout Part 14: Stroking the Old Guy's Ego **

Terri took the brochure and envelope from Bailey. "A cruise?"

Bailey tried to smile. "Six nights, seven days."

Terri hugged Bailey, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Stiles?" Everyone looked at Stiles, waiting for his reaction.

"What, you think if you send us on "The Love Boat" Isaac will fix us a couple of drinks, Julie will set us up on a romantic dinner and everything will be great?" Bailey smacked Chances' arm when he interrupted to ask about Isaac and Julie.

Terri could feel her eyes beginning to water, but she held back the tears. Ignoring Stiles' snippy comment, she thanked their friends again. "Guys, thank you. It's a wonderful idea, but…" She looked back at Stiles who was leaning against the wall with his arms folded.

"I don't think my husband is interested in being stuck on a ship with me right now." Stiles furrowed his brow and gave Bailey and Chance a sarcastic "Yeah, thanks" then stalked upstairs and slammed the door.

"Do you want me to talk to him?"

"Why Chance, so you can tell him he's right?"

"No, I think he should go. Look Terri, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I should have taken my own advice and kept my mouth shut."

"Don't be, you were just expressing how you feel."

"No, I was taking out my frustration about how I handled some things out on you. I know things haven't been easy for you and I know you're trying. I just don't like seeing him like this. It's not him."

"It's okay. We've all been under a lot of stress lately. The cruise really is a nice idea. I hope you can get your money back."

Bailey shook her head. "You don't have to leave until Sunday. Maybe he'll change his mind." Terri looked up the stairs longingly, hoping her friend was right.

* * *

It took Terri half an hour to gather enough courage to talk to Stiles. She took a deep breath as she reached the bedroom, exhaled slowly then knocked. When he didn't answer, she let herself in. He was lying on the bed, arms behind his head, staring at the ceiling. 

"If you don't want to go with me, you can take the tickets. I know it's last minute, but maybe your dad would like to go or Sam and Annie could go; I'd be happy to watch Zach for them."

Stiles sat up, closed his eyes and took a deep breath to temper his words. As soon as he closed his eyes, there they were again, Terri and Matt.

_"I keep picturing you with him_

_And it hurts so bad" _

Stiles opened his eyes a couple of minutes later to see Terri standing in front of him with watery eyes, but unlike times past, he didn't rescue her by telling her everything was okay—because for him, it wasn't.

"Stiles I'm…" She was about to say "sorry" then remembered the incident in the car that afternoon. "I love you; I just don't know what to do or say to make you believe that." Stiles took another deep breath when he felt all the anger rushing back.

"I thought I was over it, but Terri, ever since we talked to Dr. Arbor…every time I close my eyes I have this image of the two of you. I can't get it out of my head. I just keep thinking about it over and over again. I see the two of you together and I can see him touching you, kissing you…" Stiles closed his eyes again. Terri flinched but didn't say anything when he added, "you were enjoying it." He paused to control his voice. He didn't want to cry again. He wanted to make his point without looking as weak as he felt.

"It's like a constant instant replay in my head. I just can't take it. I didn't know what to do. I just needed to get away for a while this morning. I talked to my dad, I talked to Carson and Liz, but it's still there, over and over."

He gave up trying to look strong; when the first tear rolled down his cheek, he didn't even wipe it away. "Every time I really look at you, especially sitting on that couch, I see the two of you and It's too much Terri." Stiles leaned into his hands as he mumbled more to himself than to her, "I just want it to stop; I'm so tired of hurting, but I can't stop loving you either."

Terri couldn't take it anymore either; she hated seeing him so distraught. She watched him a moment then sat down next to him on the bed. When he didn't move, she put her arm around him, pulled him to her and held him as they both cried.

"I can't stop loving you either. I will never stop loving you." As he cried, Stiles held on to Terri tightly. He was afraid to let her go. His rational side knew what happened with Matt was an extraordinary circumstance created by Terri's amnesia, but the other side of him needed her to convince him that she was still his, just his.

* * *

Stiles opened his eyes and squinted at the clock, '6: 03 AM', then looked down; he was still wearing his jeans. He didn't remember making a conscious decision to go to sleep, but he remembered crying with Terri. He remembered a lot of crying. 

Looking to his right, Stiles saw Terri, also wearing the previous days' clothes, curled up beside him. She was beautiful. He had the overwhelming urge to touch her. He pushed her hair away from her face and gently kissed her cheek. He wanted her. As he watched her sleep, he knew that wth her was where he wanted to be, where he neededto be. He loved her more than anything. He hated to admit it, but the counselor and Chance, and the Callan's were right; he had to figure out how to forgive her before he was going to be okay. If working on his marriage meant going on "The Love Boat," he would do it.

* * *

"What?" Chance answered groggily. it was a rare day off and he didn't want to be awake until at least 8 AM, later if he could get away with it. 

"Hey, it's Stiles. Sorry to wake you."

Chance rolled onto his back and tried to wake up when he heard his friend's voice. Bailey snuggled into him and put her head on his chest, trying to determine who was on the other end of the line.

"It's okay. What's up?"

"I just wanted to say 'thanks' for the trip. It was nice of all of you."

"No problem. But look, don't feel obligated to go."

Bailey looked up and mouthed, "Stiles?" When Chance nodded yes, she reached for the phone. Chance moved it just out of her reach and finished his thought.

"We just want…"

"No, we're going. I'm going to try to play nice. Maybe I'll even look up Isaac and Doc while we're gone."

"Who?"

Stiles laughed. "Oh come on, don't tell me you never watched The Love Boat."

"Uh no. Can't say that I did and it scares me that you did."

"I'll see if I can't get it on DVD for you—maybe that will be my anniversary present to you and Bay."

"Cute."

"Yeah. Anyway, I had better go. Dad's coming down later this morning. Thanks again--really. I'll call you when we get back."

"You're welcome and Stiles..."

"Yeah?"

"It's going to work out. It will."

"I hope so. Later."

Chance hung up the phone and told Bailey that Stiles and Terri were going on the trip. "Hey, I wanted to talk to him!"

"Yes, I know, but I handled things all by myself." Chance looked down at her with a big smile on his face.

"You can talk to them when they get back."

"You don't have to gloat." Chance laughed as Bailey pouted. She wasn't used to losing bets to him, especially not when it came to predicting their friends' behavior. "I'll let you know when to have your fishing pole ready. You're gonna look cute in your hip waiters."

* * *

When Stiles hung up the phone, he turned to see Terri watching him. "Morning" 

"Morning. Was that Chance?"

"Yeah, I told him we're going on the cruise."

"You did? You really want to go?"

Stiles hesitated. He still thought a cruise was silly, but he was willing to go just to get out of the house and spend some quality time with his wife. "Yeah, I think it may be a good thing to get away for a few days."

Terri leaned up and kissed her husband. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, I need go get up; I want to hit a few balls before dad gets to the golf course; no way I'm letting him beat me again."

Terri smiled at Stiles as she sat up then kissed between words. "Are you sure you don't have a little more time?"

Stiles looked over at the clock then back at Terri who was working on his shirt buttons. "Then again, winning would be good for the old guy's ego."

_Over and Over by Nelly; from the 2004 album Suit. _


	94. Fallout Part 15: Anchor's Aweigh

**Title: The More Things Change **

**Author: Michelle **

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: See Part 1 **

**Part 94 **

**Fallout Part 15: Anchor's Aweigh **

**NOTE: This is it, the last chapter, the finale, the swan song…Well, before the 2-part epilouge**

Terri smiled broadly when she opened the door; the suite was perfect. The balcony door was open allowing a light breezethrough the room. There were two dozen roses on the table and a bottle of Stiles' favorite wine on the desk.

"Who sent them?"

Stiles pulled out the card as Terri tried to peakaround him. "Bailey and Chance."

'Relas and enjoy yourselves." Terri was thrilled and amazed at the thoughtfulness of her friends. Stiles was just amazed that he was there.

Terri and Stiles spent most of the first two days of the cruise in their cabin. They didn't take any shore excursions; they didn't go to any shows. They just spent time together, talking, relaxing, and getting reacquainted without all of the pressures of their normal life. Stiles felt better after getting _everything _off his chest and Terri finally understood that she needed to stop focusing on herself and concentrate on herself. By the third day, they were comfortable with each other again, if not completely healed.

* * *

Terri sat lazily on a deck chair as Stiles sat next to her with his head on a pillow on her lap. He drifted to sleep as Terri played with his hair. He woke up after a short nap and stretched as he looked out at the ocean. "I could get used to this." 

"So could I."

They sat in contented silence watching the waves crash against the boat until Stiles heard Terri's stomach growl. He smiled and looked up at his wife."Hungry?"

Terri laughed with him."Yeah, I guess I am a little."

"You want to order room service?"

"Un-un. I was just about to wake you. Tonight is the captain's cocktail party."

Stiles sat up and looked at Terri, grinning. "You've been reading the little flyers they stick under the door, haven't you?"

Terri nodded then smiled. "Mr. Stiles, how did you know that the cocktail party is listed on the little flyer? Have you been reading them?"

Stiles grinned sheepishly, embarrassed that Terri caught him getting involved in "ship life."

"You really want to go to that?"

"Not really, but ," Terri winked at her husband, "I knew how upset you'd be if you found out we passed up free drinks. Besides, what better excuse to see my handsome husband in a tuxedo?"

Stiles thought about it for a minute and agreed to go so he could "show off my beautiful wife."

"Flattery will get you everywhere Mr. Stiles!"

Stiles leaned forward and kissed her. "What time do we have to be there?"

"Cocktails at 7:00, dinner at 8:00."

Stiles looked at his watch then kissed Terri again with a little more passion. "It's not even 6:00 yet. Are you sure we have to get ready so soon?" He paused and movedto kiss her neck. "I could use a little more extracurricular time with my wife."

Stiles just grinned as Terri stood up and took his hand. "Well then I guess you better get up!"

* * *

Stiles finished dressing first and went back to the balcony. As he watched the waves lap against the side of the ocean liner, he thought about how silly he thought a cruise was—at first. Now he had to admit that he was enjoying himself. He could only imagine all the things he could do _outside_ the cabin. 

When Terri was ready, she quietly walked behind Stiles, put her arms around his waist and put her head on his back as he leaned against the railing.

"Ummm, you smell good."

Stiles smiled as he kissed the back of Terri's hand. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Stiles loved the warm feeling he had inside every time he heard her say those three short words. He took her hand and turned himself around so he could see her. He was completely mesmerized. Her hair fell over her bare shoulders in soft waves, the way he loved. She smiled when she saw the gleam in his eyes.

"You look…amazing."

Terri's cheeks reddened a touch. As her husband admired her lovingly, she leaned up and gave him a quick kiss. "Thank you. You look very handsome tonight."

Stiles' closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath before returning Terri's kiss—to her forehead. "We better go now or I won't want to."

* * *

Once they were in the hall, Terri took Stiles' hand and led the way. 

"Terri, I know we haven't been out of the room much, but isn't the dining room that way?"

Terri smiled as she gently squeezed Stiles' hand and kept walking. "I want to show you something first."

When Stiles asked where they were going, Terri put her finger to his lips. "We're almost there."

'There' was the observation point on the top deck of the ship in time to see the sun set. Terri knew where they were going yet she was still in awe. As soon as they walked outside, she covered her mouth with her hand. Stiles smiled seeing her reaction; it couldn't have been better if he'd planned it.

"Wow, isn't it beautiful?"

Stiles whispered in her ear, "Yeah" as he admired the view above and the view of the woman in front of him.

"Mr. and Mrs. Stiles?"

Stiles took Terri's hand as they turned around to see a uniformed man. Stiles looked at the man and squinted. "Ryan? Ryan Sheridan?"

"At your service."

The Captain extended his hand to Terri and then kissed hers before introducing himself. "Hello. As A.B. mentioned, I'm Ryan Sheridan, Captain, Ryan Sheridan. And you must be Terri."

"Hello Captain. Yes, I am."

"Please call me Ryan." Terri smiled and nodded okay. Stiles looked back and forth between the two.

"What's going on?"

Terri smiled at Stiles then looked at the Captain who immediately took the hint and pointed to a small, secluded area behind them. "I'll uh, be over there when you're ready."

Stiles kept looking over his shoulder to see where his old friend had gone. When the captain was completely out of sight, Terri gently turned Stiles' head so he was facing her.

"Stiles, I love you, very much."

Stiles was still distracted. "I love you too. He knew we were going to be here. How? Why?"

"I'll explain that later. Honey, I need to ask you something important."

"What?"

"If you had known that we would be in that plane crash; if you had known that I would get amnesia; if you had known how things would turn out, would you still have married me?"

Stiles finally quit fidgeting and looked at Terri. A thousand thoughts ran through his mind, all of them leading to the same conclusion. He put his palm against Terri's cheek and kissed her. As he did, she leaned into his touch and closed her eyes, anxiously awaiting his answer.

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Really"

Terri covered his hand with hers as a smile lit up her face. "That's why the captain is here. I want you to know that I heard you. I do see what you've been through; I do understand that I hurt you. I get it—really."

"Terri..."

"Please, let me finish."

Stiles nodded and waited patiently for her to continue, though he was a little worried about what she was going to say.

"I know we have a ways to go, but I want tonight to be the first step in proving to you how much I love you and how much I believe in us."

"I know you do, but..." Stiles opened his mouth to say something else, but Terri quieted him with her finger.

"Marrying you was one of the best decisions I've ever made and ..."

"_One_ of the best decisions?"

"Stiles..."

Stiles smiled at her. "Sorry"

"As I was saying, marrying you was _the _best decision I've ever made and I would marry you again in a heartbeat—if you'll have me."

Stiles felt goose bumps all over and lifted Terri so they were eye-to-eye. "Are you asking me to marry you?"

Terri smiled at him. "Yes I am."

Stiles put her down and turned serious. "Only if you ask me properly."

Terri looked at him puzzled.

"On one knee."

Terri frowned. "Stiles…"

Stiles tried to remove the grin from his face. "I'm serious."

Stiles watched closely as Terri attempted to lower herself onto one knee in her long, formal dress. The captain cleared his throat, rescuing her and Sitles grinned, giving up his attempt at looking serious.

"Okay, okay, you can ask standing up."

Terri gave him a smirk as she straightened herself. "Aidan Benjamin Stiles, will you marry me?"

This time, Stiles picked her up and gave her a quick twirl before putting her down.

"I need to know one thing first."

Terri frowned, disappointed that he still needed reassurance. "What?"

Stiles pointed to the captain. "How's he involved? Where did you find him?"

Terri smiled, pleased with herself. "Chance and Bailey somehow managed to book us on his ship. Chance and I had a little chat the day before we left—while you and and your dad were playing golf."

Stiles looked at his old friend and beckoned him over.

Ryan nodded and held his arms out, gesturing for Terri and Stiles to admire _his _ship. She's pretty isn't she?"

Stiles laughed. Please tell me this isn't the only she you've got."

"Very funny sparky."

Terri looked up at Stiles, mouthed, "Sparky?", and then grinned when Stiles' ears turned red.

"Not all of us have been as lucky as you and Chancellor."Ryan looked at Terri and winked.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, Major, I know the General told you it's impolite to keep a lady waiting, especially one as beautiful as Terri. Are you going to marry her or not?"

Without acknowledging Ryan, Stiles kissed Terri. When she regained her composure, he gave her his answer.

"Absolutely."

* * *

"Terri, thank you for letting me perform the ceremony. I'm sorry I missed the first one." 

Ryan looked over his shoulder at Stiles, "Of course, not all of us make the big bucks and can fly to Ireland for four days."

Stiles playfully jabbed his friend's arm. "Hey, don't give me that. I offered to fly you in."

"Yeah I know. I couldn't get away." Ryan nodded in Terri's direction as he whispered in Stiles' ear. "You're one lucky man. She's gorgeous. Of course, it would take a woman that beautiful to drag you down the isle—twice."

Stiles smiled at Terri as he took her hand. "Yeah, I am pretty lucky."

Ryan took Stiles' comment as his cue to leave the "newlyweds" alone. He patted Stiles on the back and said goodnight. "I better head inside; can't have the Captain's cocktail party without the Captain. Why don't you two join me for dinner tomorrow night? You and I can catch up and," he looked over at Terri, "I can tell you a few stories about Sparky, here."

Stiles wasn't sure he wanted Ryan telling stories about him, but Terri was intrigued and spoke up before he got a chance. "Thank you, we'd love to."

"Good. Goodnight and congratulations."

After Ryan left, Terri took Stiles' hand and led him back to the railing. "I love you, you know that without a doubt, right?"

Stiles nodded yes as he wrapped his jacket and then his arms around Terri as she shivered in the cool night air.

"Stiles?"

"Yeah?"

"When we leave all this behind and go home to the real world and bills and work, we are going to be okay, right?" Terri half-stated half asked.

"Yeah, we're going to be fine. After what we've been through, we're still in love and we're together as we're supposed to be. We're like the old saying …the more things change…the more they stay the same."

**The End**

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE:_**

**Iwould really appreciate your thoughts on this chapter and the story as a whole. **

**_Thanks for reading!_**


	95. Aftermath Part 1:

**End of chapter 94**

"Stiles?"

"Yeah?"

"When we leave all this behind and go home to the real world and bills and work, we are going to be okay, right?" Terri half-stated half asked.

"Yeah, we're going to be okay. After what we've been through, we're still in love and we're together as we're supposed to be. We're like the old saying …the more things change…the more they stay the same."

**EPILOGUE**

**Part 95—The Epilogue  
****Aftermath Part 1 of 2 **

**A/N: This takes place approximately 3½ years after "Things Changed"**

"It's four."

"Four. Are they sure? Four?"

Bailey smiled and did her best to sound optimistic. "They're sure."

"Wow."

"Yeah, wow. We're pulling into the garage now. Chance wasn't expecting this and he's in shock. Can you call Stiles and have him go up to Chance's office? They need to talk."

Chance finally looked over at his wife and whisphered, "I don't need to talk."

"Yes, you do."

"What?"

"Sorry, Chance was just telling me he's fine. What did you say?"

"I'll call Stiles as soon as we hang up."

"Thanks. I'll talk to you a little later."

"Bailey."

"Yeah"

"Are you okay?"

Bailey hesitated. "I will be."

Stiles knocked on Chance's door just as Chance sat down. He sighed and looked through the glass enclosure, relieved that it was only Stiles. When Stiles was still standing in the hallway a few moments later,a tired, half smile tugged at Chance's face; he realized he hadn't released the door so his friend could enter.

"Four huh?"

Chance nodded as he stood and faced the war room behind his office. "I can't believe this. They told me to expect two, maybe three. Stiles, I can't handle four."

"Hey, it could be worse, it could be like six or seven."

Chance whipped his head around and growled, "Not funny."

"Sorry. What did Bailey say?"

Chance half chuckled, half sigheds haking his head."I don't even know. I can't remember anything that happened after the doctor said, 'you're having twins—two sets of twins.' I honestly don't even remember leaving her office."

Stiles laughed at his friend. He really was in shock. "It's not that bad. Look, at least you only have to do it once. As much as I'm looking forward to seeing my daughter, I'm not looking forward to sleeping two hours at a time and changing more diapers. It won't be so bad."

Chance rolled his eyes,as he pickedup a photo of Bailey and him on their last anniversary.

"Yeah? Bailey and I will never have another vacation. Who's going to watch four little kids? We'll spend the next, what, ten years or more tripping over toys. I'm going to have to give up my office…I probably won't see Bailey alone again until they leave for college—if they leave. What am I saying? They won't be able to leave because I won't be able to afford it!"

Stiles couldn't help laughing, Chance looked and sounded so pitiful. "I thought this is what you wanted? Isn't that what all the tests and appointments and drugs were about, having a baby?"

"_A _baby, one. I agreed to one kid, two tops. I didn't want four if we had them separately, let alone at the same time. I don't even thnk I like kids!"

Stiles knew Chance was only venting; he adored his niece and nephews and they loved him. Stiles smiled as he thought about what was coming; there were going to be four little Chancellors. "Did you find out what they are?"

Chance started pacing again. "Three of them are girls. One set of identical twins, on set of fraternal. Not only will I have four kids, I'll be outnumbered two to one. I have two sisters; my dad and I were lucky if we got ten minutes in the bathroom. I cannot believe this. What have I gotten myself into?"

"Fatherhood and you'll love it."

Stiles turned around to see Carl standing in the doorway smiling. "I just saw Bailey; she told me the good news."

Chance sighed and shook his head. "I'm glad you two think this is so funny. You'll be first on my list of babysitters."

Stiles and Carl laughed, taking turns patting Chance on the back. "Why don't you go home? You're not going to be much good this afternoon anyway."

Chance looked up and nodded in agreement, but decided to stay. "If I go home I'll just end up wandering around the house trying to figure out where to stick four cribs."

* * *

"Three girls, huh?" 

"Yeah. Chance kept mumbling that he'll be outnumbered two to one."

Terri laughed, trying to imagine Chance mumbling all the way back to the office. When she saw how sad Bailey looked, she became serious.

"So how do you feel about having two sets of twins?"

Bailey looked down as she put her hand on her abdomen. "I don't know. Right now, I have to be the strong one. I had to walk Chance out of the doctor's office; he was in such shock, he could barely function. He wasn't much better by the time we got here. I'm worried about him Terri.I already feel like I talked him into the fertility treatments, now this." Bailey wiped the tears from her cheek, trying to compose herself.

Terri reached across the table and gaveBailey's hand a soft squeeze."I need him to be okay with this because I can't do it by myself."

"Honey, you won't have to. He'll come around. The minute he sees those babies he'll fall in love with them. You know him; those little girls will have him wrapped around their little fingers in no time."

"I hope so."

"I know so. Now, tell me what names you have in mind. I know you've been thinking about it."

Bailey smiled for the first time since she found out how many babies she was carrying.

"Chance and I decided that if we had a son we would name him after Eric and him. So either Eric Christopher or Christopher Eric. If we go with Eric, I kind of had this silly idea about what the other kids' initials should be."

Terri smiled as she listened to her friend. She was glad to see a smile on her face. "Okay, let's hear it."

"Well,s ince everyone always jokes about us being B.C and C.C. I thought our child would have the initials A.C."

Terri nodded.

"So, since there will be four of them, I was thinking Ari or maybe Ashley or Adrienne (A.C.), Danielle (D.C.), and Eric (E.C.).

"That's only three, what about the…" Terri counted and figured out the missing letter, "…F?"

Bailey frowned. "That's the only thing wrong with this plan. I can't think of any girl names that begin with F., at least not any that I like. Francis, Fayeand Francine are the only ones I could come up with.

"Hmmm, what about Farrah?"

Bailey laughed so hard she had to turn her head to keep from spitting her water on Terri.

"Oh yeah, then every time I call her I'll hear the theme song from Charlie's Angels."

"I got you to laugh!"

"Yes you did. Thank you. I needed that. Now, if only I can get my husband to lighten up."

"He will. Have faith in him; everything will be okay." Terri laughed again. "Or you could have Faith because of him."

Bailey looked at Terri confused for a moment.

"Sorry, that was corny, I know."

Bailey paused again for a moment, thinking. "No, actually I like that, Faith Chancellor."

"That does have a nice ring to it."

Bailey stood up and hugged Terri. "Yes, it does. Thank you Terri."

"You're welcome. Remember, I'm always here for you."

"I know." Bailey glanced at the clock behind the counter. "Wow, it's getting late.I better get back to work or I'll be here all night."

"Stop worring.Chance willcome around. He loves you too much not to, and he will love them whether he realizes it now or not."

* * *

"Hey handsome." 

"Talking to yourself again?'

Stiles turned to see Terri behind him.

"Ha ha. I was talking to the good looking guy in the playpen—who happens to look just like his mother."

"Nice try. He looks like you, and you know it. I've seen the pictures; he looks just like you did at his age."

"Well," Stiles patted Terri's abdomen. "Maybe this one will look like you."

Terri leaned forward slightly and kissed her husband. "She better!"

"Although, if she turns out to be as beautiful as her mother, I may have to lock her in her room from the time she's 13 until she's 35."

Terri smiled and kissed him again. Their poor daughter!

Stiles picked up their 18-month old son and followed Terri into the kitchen. "Chance is a mess; he can't believe they're having four babies. Did you see him today?"

Terri sighed. "No, but Bailey's worried. She's afraid that he won't come around."

"He only wanted one kid. I think he would have been okay if they never had any kids, but Bailey wanted this so he went along with it."

"Yeah, I know she pushed him, but he's so good with Patrick and Bailey said he adores his niece and nephews."

"But they aren't his kids; when he's tired of playing, he hands them back or sends them home."

"But he'll love them."

"I know, I just think somewhere along the way he missed the part about multiple births. I'm sure that's what's scared him."

Stiles stopped talking when he couldn't suppress his laughter.

Terri looked at him, puzzled at what he found so funny about the situation. "What?"

"You should have heard him going on about how there's no way he's giving up his car, buying a minivan or a wagon with cloth seats. I thought I saw tears forming when he started talking about how he and Bailey won't have a romantic vacation alone for at least 18 years and that was only if he could figure out a way to pay for four kids to go away for college. He was such a basket case Carl told him to go home."

Terri frowned. "You're kidding?"

"Nope, but he wouldn't leave because he said all he would do was wander around the house trying to figure out where to stick four cribs."

Terri went from feeling sorry for Bailey to being annoyed with Chance. "I can't believe he's this upset. He needs to suck it up for her; her pregnancy is not going to be easy. The last thing she needs to worry about is whether her husband is going to have a coronary about what kind of vehicle he'll have to drive."

"I'll talk to him. Things will get better the first time he feels them kick or when they get the color ultrasound. If that doesn't do it, I'm sure he'll get over it the minute he holds one of them. We'll have to have him come over and help when Chelsea is born."

Terri stopped what she was doing and raised her eyebrow in Stiles' direction. "Chelsea ? Don't you mean Hannah?"

Stiles smiled. "I'm sure my grandfather would hate to know we we're fighting over whether to name our daughter after his wife or his daughter."

"We're not fighting."

Stiles kissed her. "You're right, we're not. We could just let your mother decide. She won't like that both kids are named after members of my family."

"She'll get over it; my daughter will not be named Ruby. I loved my grandmother, but I always hated that name."

"Chelsea Hannah?"

"Hannah Chelsea?"

Stiles looked at her and laughed.

"Okay, what about Ava? That was the name of dad's grandmother."

"Maybe; what about Sarah? I always liked that name."

Terri punched her husband on the arm with a smirk on her face. "Sarah Stiles? It sounds too much like the song, 'Sara Smiles."

Stiles rolled his eyes and Terri smiled.

"We still have four months to decide."

"No, we have three months two and ½ weeks..."

Stiles laughed. "I stand corrected, we have three months, two ½ weeks to decide."

"Thank you."

Terri went back to cooking dinner while Stiles fed their son. As she pulled plates out of the cabinet, she turned around and yelled, "A cruise!"

Stiles jumped at the sound of Terri's voice, causing him to drop the baby's spoon on the floor. "What?"

"Well, not necessarily a cruise, but a weekend away for Bay and Chance. Considering Chance's mood, I think they could use one. He's worried about not having time alone with her for the next 18 years and pretty soon, she won't feel like going anywhere."

Stiles just stared at her. "You know they won't go on their own. We owe them."

"You think we should send them away on a mini vacation, like they did for us?"

"Yep." Terri was silent for about thirty seconds before startling Stiles again. "Oh, we can send them to the island. What do you think?"

Stiles smiled. "I think that's a great idea."

"That cruise they sent us on was a real turning point for us." Terri looked up at Stiles whistfully. "It helped save our marriage. I can't believe it was almost four years ago."

Stiles nodded appreciatively, thinking about that trip. He and Terri renewed their vows and he renewed his faith in her. The day they got home, Stiles arranged to have "the couch" donated to Goodwill. They spent the next year having the "honeymoon" year they'd missed, getting to know and appreciate each other again. On their second anniversary, Stiles opened his anniversary present from Terri to find a baby rattle. On their third anniversary, theywent back to Niceand planned baby number two.

"I'll call Carl and convince him that Chance needs the time off."


	96. Aftermath Part 2

**Title: The More Things Change  
Rating: PG-13  
Disclaimer: See Part 1 **

**Aftermath Part 2 of 2: What goes around, comes around **

"Babysitting coupons."

"Huh?"

"When we tell Bay and Chance about the trip…"

"Carl hasn't agreed to give them the time off."

"He will. Anyway, I think we should give them babysitting coupons from all of their friends. We may even be able to convince their parents to put in a couple to keep the kids so they can go on away on their anniversary like they've been doing." Terri looked up at Stiles and winked, "We could do that too…"

Stiles laughed right before kissing his wife. "Six kids? In this house? You're going to have to make that worth my while."

Terri leaned up and kissed Stiles. "I think I can manage that."

Stiles grabbed Terri's hand and headed upstairs. They were barely inside their room when Stiles' phone rang.

Terri kissed Stiles as he reached for his phone. "Don't answer it."

Stiles opened one eye and looked at the caller ID. "Carl. I better answer it."

Terri groaned and let him go. She decided to get ready for bed and check on Patrick when it became apparent the conversation would take a while.

Nearly an hour later, Stiles flopped on the bed next to Terri and smiled, happy that she waited up. "Okay, it's done. Chance and Bailey have next weekend off, two tickets to Andros and a suite booked at Le Grande Bleu. They leave Friday at 8:00 PM ."

Terri smiled broadly. "I think this will be good for them. Why did Carl actually call?"

Stiles hesitated for a moment before telling Terri about the rest of his conversation with Carl. "Callan's coming back."

Terri sat up, frowning. "What?"

"Carl just told me that Callan's taking Holland 's old job. He'll be back next month."

"Why?"

"Carl thought it was time, but it's also a favor for Liz and Carson. After the scare with Carson's heart attack, they really wanted their family back together. Now that Bailey's pregnant, the timing just seemed right."

"And you're okay with seeing him again?"

"I don't think I'll ever like the guy, but I won't have to see him very often so it shouldn't too big a deal. Are you okay with seeing him again?"

"I don't know." Terri felt like she had forgiven Matt, at least to the point where her memories of how he manipulated her didn't affect her marriage. Although they had barely spoken at the hospital after Carson's attack a few month's earlier, Terri had survived being in the same room with him for hours at a time. But now that she would have to work with him again, she wasn't sure that she wouldn't have the urge to punch him.

"Does he know you have his old job?"

"Yeah"

"Indirectly, he'll be working for you, right? How's that going to work?"

"It'll work." Stiles took a deep breath before revealing the rest of his news. "I interviewed him a few weeks ago."

Terri got up and glared at her husband. "You what? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to upset you. When Liz called to tell us what she and Carson wanted, you were still sick all the time and under a lot of stress with work. I didn't want to say anything until I knew more."

Terri wasn't happy that Stiles kept this from her. She had been very sick the first few months of her pregnancy and he was right, hearing anything about Matt wouldn't have been the best thing for her then.

"A few days after Carson got home, Liz came to see me at the office and asked how I would feel about Matt coming back to Langley . I wanted to tell her that I thought he should stay in Germany and rot, but the look on her face… anyway, I told her I was sure about us, but I didn't think I could work with him again."

Terri had a hard time imaging Stiles and Matt working together again even after three and 1/2 years, but she kept her thoughts to herself.

"Carl talked to the people Callan's been working with and looked at his work. Once he was satisfied, he set up the interview. He told me he would consider whatever I told him before he made his decision."

"So you talked to Matt?"

"Yeah, I called him and we talked about the job. Then we talked about you and me. I told him we're happy and he said he is glad. Then he apologized. I…"

Terri looked at Stiles incredulously and then interrupted him. "He apologized? What did he say, 'Sorry I convinced your amnesiac wife that she wanted me? Sorry that I let you think I was sleeping with her? Sorry that I was a jerk and let my ego get in the way of a mission, nearly costing you your life?"

Stiles half smiled. "Yeah, something like that. He did some soul searching; Carl sent him to counseling too. It seems he had some middle child issues. Apparently, everybody loved his older brother and he always resented the attention Eric got. Then Eric died and became 'Saint Eric.' Helping to put Quinn away and coming back here was supposed to be Callan's chance to prove that he was as good as if not better than his brother was. I got in the way.

"I had the job he wanted, the girl he wanted and, just like the rest of the family, I reminded him of Eric. The fact that his mother sort of adopted me didn't help. He said he was jealous and lost sight of some things and he was sorry you and I were hurt. He sounded sincere."

Terri knew how much everyone loved Eric. She also knew that Matt was jealous of his family's relationship with Stiles, but she didn't think any of that was a valid reason to do what he did, but again, she decided to keep her mouth shut. Stiles had come a long way since Matt left and if he was okay, she didn't want to dredge up the past. "What did you tell Carl?"

"I told him I think I can deal with it. I told him that as long as we didn't have to look at him everyday, we could manage."

Terri handed Stiles the remote. "Okay. I'm tired. I'm going to sleep."

Stiles caught Terri's arm as she was turning away from him. "Oh no you don't."

"Terri, Liz said something to me that I'll never forget. The day Bay and Chance gave us that cruise, when I was still letting the whole thing drive me crazy, she sat me down and told me, 'Matt can't hurt you anymore.' What she said made sense then, and it makes sense now. Honey, he screwed up his life and we almost let him screw up ours, but we're okay. We've been okay. We'll keep being okay.

His coming back has more to do with Liz and Carson wanting their family together—all of their family. Terri, I love you and I'm not worried about us. Please don't let him get to you."

At the same time Stiles finished talking, Terri felt the baby move. She paused for a moment and looked at her husband then sighed, "I just never thought about how I would feel if I had to see him again."

Stiles pulled Terri to him and bent his head until their foreheads touched. "Honey, you'll be fine. You probably won't see him that much anyway. And if he gets out of line," Stiles kissed her quickly then smiled before continuing, "You have my permission to punch him."

Terri laughed as she kissed him back. "Thank you and just so you know, I am very happy with our life and you're right, we're okay. Our marriage is strong, we have a beautiful son and…" Terri took Stiles' hand so he could feel their daughter moving and smiled. "…this little one seems to agree with you; we'll keep being okay."

**C'est tout **

**Thanks for reading; I hope you've enjoyed it!**


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